Alcatraz (TV series)

Alcatraz
Genre
Created by
Starring
Theme music composer J. J. Abrams
Composer(s) Michael Giacchino
Chris Tilton
Andrea Datzman
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s) Alison Balian
Robert Hull
Athena Wickham
Robert M. Williams, Jr.
Location(s) Riverview Hospital, Coquitlam, British Columbia / Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada / San Francisco, United States (pilot)
Cinematography Stephen McNutt
David Stockton
Running time 43 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network Fox
Original release January 16 – March 26, 2012 (2012-03-26)
Website

Alcatraz is an American television series created by Elizabeth Sarnoff, Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, and produced by J. J. Abrams and Bad Robot Productions. The series premiered on Fox on January 16, 2012, as a mid-season replacement.[1] Switching between eras, the series focuses on the Alcatraz prison, which was shut down in 1963 due to unsafe conditions for its prisoners and guards. The show's premise is that both the prisoners and the guards disappeared in 1963 and have abruptly reappeared in modern-day San Francisco, where they are being tracked down by a government agency. The series starred Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia, Sam Neill, and Parminder Nagra.[2]

The show was canceled by Fox on May 9, 2012.[3]

Plot summary

On March 21, 1963, 256 inmates and 46 guards disappeared from the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary without a trace. To cover up the disappearance, the government invented a cover story about the prison being closed due to unsafe conditions, and officially reported that the inmates had been transferred. However, federal agent Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill), a young San Francisco police officer tasked with transferring inmates to the island in 1963, is one of the first to discover that the inmates are actually missing and not transferred. In present-day San Francisco, the "63s" (as the missing inmates and guards are called) begin returning, one by one. Strangely, they haven't aged at all, and they have no clues about their missing time or their whereabouts during their missing years; however, they appear to be returning with compulsions to find certain objects and to continue their criminal habits. Even more strangely, the government has been expecting their return, and Hauser now runs a secret government unit dedicated to finding the returning prisoners; this unit was set up long ago in anticipation of the prisoners' returns. To help track down the returning prisoners and capture them, Hauser enlists police detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia), a published expert on the history of Alcatraz and its inmates.

Opening: (Narrated by Sam Neill in every episode)

"On March 21, 1963, Alcatraz officially closed. All the prisoners were transferred off the island. Only, that's not what happened. Not at all."

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Featured guests

Inmates (in order of appearance)

There were around 302 people on Alcatraz when they all mysteriously vanished, with fewer than 50 of these being prison staff; the other 250+, referred to by Hauser as the '63s, remain some of America's worst recorded criminals. Each one has demonstrated a ruthless skill in their chosen crime fields of expertise and no compunctions about picking up where they left off. Various inmates underwent mysterious experiments involving their blood being extracted, treated with an unidentified process, and then returned to them, those inmates who underwent this procedure possessing a degree of accelerated healing that allows them to recover from wounds in far less time than would normally be expected.

Guards

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code
U.S. viewers
(million)
1"Pilot"Danny CannonSteven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt & Elizabeth SarnoffJanuary 16, 2012 (2012-01-16)29679010.05[4]
Years after every prisoner on Alcatraz mysteriously vanished, FBI Agent Emerson Hauser and Detective Rebecca Madsen are drawn into the case of Jack Sylvane, who is on a killing spree. They later find out that Sylvane was in fact one of the inmates in the prison. Joined by Alcatraz expert "Doc" Soto, Hauser and Madsen race to stop Sylvane and solve the mystery of Alcatraz. Hauser takes Sylvane to a prison facility in the woods much like Alcatraz.
2"Ernest Cobb"Jack BenderAlison BalianJanuary 16, 2012 (2012-01-16)2J605210.05[4]
Ernest Cobb (Joe Egender), another Alcatraz prisoner, is now killing people using a sniper rifle. Madsen and Hauser try to stop him before he kills more, forcing them to try and deduce the motivation for his murder sprees. Lucy is shot by Cobb and is comatose. Lucy is also revealed to be working as a doctor in the 1960s as she is introduced to Cobb when he was in Alcatraz.
3"Kit Nelson"Jack BenderJennifer JohnsonJanuary 23, 2012 (2012-01-23)2J60539.03[5]
A child killer, who would kidnap his victims and return their bodies home, reappears from the past, spurring a manhunt. Dr. Soto proves his worth by coming up with the clues to the killer's capture. Also, a secret from Dr. Soto's past is revealed.
4"Cal Sweeney"Brad AndersonRobert HullJanuary 30, 2012 (2012-01-30)2J60558.44[6]
A bank robber from the past causes mayhem in the present and puts Rebecca in a difficult position as she has to work out how to get him out of the bank without revealing the existence of the 63s.
5"Guy Hastings"Charles BeesonSteven Lilien & Bryan WynbrandtFebruary 6, 2012 (2012-02-06)2J60566.91[7]
A guard from Alcatraz appears- acting in a far more violent manner than the team would have expected- and encounters Ray, whom Rebecca suspects the guard may be using to track down her grandfather. Ray is revealed to be Rebecca's uncle.
6"Paxton Petty"Paul EdwardsTeleplay by: Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt & Robert Hull
Story by: Jennifer Johnson
February 13, 2012 (2012-02-13)2J60586.24[8]
A military land mine specialist resurfaces and plants bombs throughout the city. Rebecca, Soto and Hauser follow a series of clues to find his next targeted location. Hauser learns that Lucy might not wake up from her coma, so he removes her from the hospital to be fixed by Dr. Beauregard.
7"Johnny McKee"Brad TurnerToni GraphiaFebruary 20, 2012 (2012-02-20)2J60545.98[9]
Johnny McKee, another former Alcatraz prisoner, returns and begins to poison the people of San Francisco, particularly men who behave similarly to grade-school bullies.
8"The Ames Brothers"Nick CopusRobert HullMarch 5, 2012 (2012-03-05)2J60595.82[10]
When brothers Herman and Pinky Ames, who almost escaped in 1961, return to modern times, Soto gets caught and kidnapped by the ultra-violent duo as they follow a map in the hunt for a certain treasure, resulting in a tense confrontation in Alcatraz itself.
9"Sonny Burnett"Paul EdwardsTeleplay by: Toni Graphia & Robert Hull
Story by: Toni Graphia
March 5, 2012 (2012-03-05)2J60605.47[10]
Sonny Burnett, sent to 1960 Alcatraz for kidnapping wealthy people and holding them for outrageous ransoms, appears in the present, seeking revenge from Warden Tiller's treatment of him in the past. Also, the blood taken from the 1963 prisoners has a modern connection. The link between Rebecca, Uncle Ray, and Tommy is further explored.
10"Clarence Montgomery"Jack BenderLeigh Dana JacksonMarch 12, 2012 (2012-03-12)2J60575.07[11]
After a woman is found dead on a golf course, killed in a similar manner to the murdered girlfriend of former Alcatraz inmate Clarence Montgomery, the team begins to suspect that the innocent Montgomery, who was falsely accused of and imprisoned for murdering his girlfriend, has returned, and is now committing crimes similar to that which he was imprisoned for.
11"Webb Porter"Jack BenderSteven Lilien & Bryan WynbrandtMarch 19, 2012 (2012-03-19)2J60615.04[12]
Sent to Alcatraz for killing his mother, who tried to drown him when he was younger, violin-playing former inmate Webb Porter resurfaces. He willingly gives blood to Lucy, allowing her to wake from her coma.
12"Garrett Stillman"Eagle EgilssonLeigh Dana Jackson & Coleman HerbertMarch 26, 2012 (2012-03-26)2J60624.78[13]
Doc and Rebecca close in on a man who may be the key to revealing the secrets behind all the returning criminals. Meanwhile, Hauser makes a discovery beneath the halls of Alcatraz that reveals more of the truth.
13"Tommy Madsen"Aaron LipstadtDaniel Pyne & Jennifer JohnsonMarch 26, 2012 (2012-03-26)2J60634.75[13]
Rebecca finds the man who killed her partner. The episode includes a recreation of the chase scene in Bullitt.

Production

The climactic sniper scene in the second episode was filmed atop the Toronto-Dominion Bank Building in Vancouver.

In November 2011, Elizabeth Sarnoff, co-creator of the series, stepped down as executive producer. She remained as an "executive consultant".[14]

The show was filmed in Vancouver and San Francisco. Scenes from the second episode prominently feature Vancouver's Toronto-Dominion Bank and Vancouver Film School, as well as backdrops of the port facilities.

Reception

Jorge Garcia, Sarah Jones and Parminder Nagra at WonderCon 2012 in promotion of Alcatraz.

In June 2011, Alcatraz was one of eight honorees in the Most Exciting New Series category at the 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards, elected by journalists who had seen the pilots.[15] It has an aggregate score of 63/100 on Metacritic, denoting "generally favorable reviews".[16] Newsday's Verne Gay liked the series, but stated "'Traz' shares some of the DNA of The 4400 (of all shows) with a strand or two stripped from the genetic code of FlashForward. Love all these aforementioned worthies."[17] Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote: "Alcatraz is easy enough to follow, with twists and surprises that are enjoyable and not enervating. But you still may leave it wondering how long it will be before there are eight timelines and six universes."[18] New York's Matt Zoller Seitz panned the series, saying, "The characters are so TV cute (and in some cases TV pretty) and the storytelling so mechanical, that I couldn’t give myself over to it either way."[19]

The series opened with over 10 million U.S. viewers, but for the season finale, it had decreased to 4.75 million U.S viewers, the series' lowest viewership.[4][13] In the UK, the pilot episode debuted on March 15, 2012, with 496,000 viewers, marking UKTV's Watch channel's highest debut for the time-slot since 2011's Dynamo: Magician Impossible.[20]

U.S. ratings

Season Episodes Timeslot (ET/PT) Premiered Ended TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
Date Premiere
viewers
(in millions)
Date Finale
viewers
(in millions)
1 13 Monday 9:00 PM January 16, 2012 10.05[4] March 26, 2012 4.75[13] 2011–12 #46 9.56[21]

Awards

In 2011, the series was honored, along with seven others, with the Critics' Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series.[22]

International distribution

Region Channel Premiere date Ref.
Arab world MBC Action January 19, 2012
 Argentina Warner Channel January 23, 2012
 Armenia Armenia 1 January 8, 2014
 Australia Nine Network February 13, 2012 [23]
 Belgium VIER and RTBF March 26, 2012 [24]
 Brazil Warner Channel, SBT January 23, 2012; December 9, 2012 [25]
 Canada (English) City January 16, 2012 [26]
 Canada  Quebec (French) Ztélé January 30, 2013 [27]
 Denmark Kanal 5 March 11, 2012 [28]
 Estonia Kanal 2 November 27, 2012
 Finland Sub September 2, 2012 [29]
 France NT1 January 12, 2013 [30]
 Germany RTL Nitro September 19, 2012 [31]
 Greece Star Channel September 1, 2016
 Hong Kong TVB Pearl September 18, 2012
 Hungary Cool June 17, 2013
 India Star World November 10, 2012 [32]
 Ireland Watch and RTÉ March 13, 2012 [33]
 Israel HOT March 2012 [34]
 Italy Premium Crime January 30, 2012
Latin America, except Argentina, Brazil Warner Channel January 22, 2012
 Netherlands Net 5 March 16, 2013 [35]
 New Zealand TV One December 5, 2012 [36]
 Norway TVNorge February 9, 2012
 Pakistan Star World November 10, 2012 [32]
 Poland Platforma n VOD February 6, 2012
 Philippines CHASE on BEAM 31 February 18, 2012
 Portugal RTP2 March 16, 2012 [37]
 Romania Jurnal TV May 3, 2014
 Slovakia Markíza June 30, 2013 [38][39]
 South Africa M-Net and M-Net HD May 29, 2012 [40]
 Spain TNT (pay) January 17, 2012
La Sexta (free) February 8, 2012 [41]
 Sweden TV4 April 9, 2012 [42]
 Thailand True Series June 17, 2012
 Turkey DiziMax January 21, 2012
 United Kingdom Watch March 13, 2012 [33]

Connection to the actual prison

The series renewed the public's interest in the actual Alcatraz prison, so much so that the National Park Service had to install warning signs for its public tours. Fans of the TV series broke away from tours in an attempt to find the "nerve center" that is shown underneath the prison on the show. The signs state: "The TV show Alcatraz is fictional, many areas it depicts are not real. Closed areas protect you, historic structures and nesting birds."[43]

Home video release

Warner Home Video released the entire series in DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats on October 16, 2012. Both the three-disc DVD and two-disc Blu-ray sets featured deleted scenes, a gag reel, the "Alcatraz: Island of Intrigue" featurette of the cast and crew, and a 6-page full-color collectible booklet. The United States Blu-ray version also featured digital UltraViolet versions of each episode.[44][45]

References

  1. "FOX mid-season 2011–12 schedule". TV Series Finale. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  2. Woerner, Meredith (January 20, 2011). "Could J.J. Abrams' new show be more bizarre than Lost? Here's everything we know so far". io9. Archived from the original on January 28, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  3. Rose, Lacey (9 May 2012). "Fox Renews 'Touch'; Cancels 'Alcatraz,' 'The Finder'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Gorman, Bill (January 18, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: '2 Broke Girls' Adjusted Up; 'Castle' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  5. Seidman, Robert (January 24, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Gossip Girl,' 'Hart of Dixie' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  6. Gorman, Bill (January 31, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'House,' 'Alcatraz' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  7. Seidman, Robert (February 7, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' 'Alcatraz,' 'House,' 'Two and a Half Men' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  8. Gorman, Bill (February 14, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' '2 Broke Girls,' 'Two And A Half Men,' 'Mike & Molly,' 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  9. Bibel, Sara (February 22, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' 'House,' 'Two and a Half Men,' 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Up".
  10. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (March 6, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice' Adjusted Up".
  11. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 13, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice', Repeats of 'House', 'How I Met Your Mother', '2 Broke Girls' Adjust Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  12. Seidman, Robert (March 20, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'The Voice,' 'Alcatraz,' 'House 'How I Met Your Mother,' '2 Broke Girls' Adjusted Up; 'Castle,' 'Smash,' 'Mike & Molly' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Kondolojy, Amanda (March 27, 2012). "Monday Final Ratings: 'Alcatraz', 'DWTS' & 'Voice' Adjust Up, 'Castle' & Smash' Adjust Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  14. Ng, Philiana (November 15, 2011). "'Alcatraz' Co-Creator Liz Sarnoff Steps Down as Showrunner". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  15. Andreeva, Nellie (June 9, 2011). "Critics' Choice Awards Honors 8 New Shows". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  16. "Alcatraz – Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  17. Gay, Verne (January 13, 2012). "'Alcatraz': Between Rock and fun place". Newsday. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  18. Bianco, Robert (January 15, 2012). "'Alcatraz' unlocks another Abrams mind bender". USA Today. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  19. Zoller Seitz, Matt (January 16, 2012). "TV Review: Alcatraz Should Never Have Been Freed". New York. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  20. Rosser, Michael (March 14, 2012). "Alcatraz debut tops multichannel". Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  21. Gormam, Bill (May 25, 2012). "Complete List Of 2011–12 Season TV Show Viewership: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'American Idol,' 'NCIS' & 'Dancing With The Stars'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  22. Andreeva, Nellie (June 9, 2011).Critics’ Choice Awards Honors 8 New Shows, Deadline.com. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  23. Knox, David (February 3, 2012). "Airdate: Alcatraz". TV Tonight. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  24. http://www.vier.be/alcatraz
  25. http://www.sbt.com.br/noticias/11295/Alcatraz-estreia-neste-domingo-no-SBT.html
  26. http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/732043/this-fall-s-most-anticipated-shows-are-on-citytv
  27. http://www.ztele.com/emissions/blogue-television/alcatraz-disparu-primitif-nouveau-monde-et-plus-a-ztele-cet-hiver-1.1133536
  28. "KANAL 5 – presse [ pressemeddelelser ]". February 16, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  29. "J.J. Abramsin uutuusdraama Subille". August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
  30. La série Alcatraz reléguée sur NT1
  31. http://www.rtlnitro.de/cms/sendungen/alcatraz.html
  32. 1 2 "Star World Schedule".
  33. 1 2 Munn, Patrick (February 1, 2012). "Watch Announces Premiere Date For Alcatraz". TVWise. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  34. "Alcatraz on Hot Israel".
  35. http://www.net5.nl/programmas/alcatraz
  36. "Why was Alcatraz cancelled (and moved)?". Stuff.co.nz (Fairfax New Zealand). January 17, 2013. Archived from the original on June 21, 2014.
  37. Vendeira, Pedro (March 9, 2012). "Alcatraz – Estreia dia 16 na RTP2 – A Televisão" (in Portuguese). A Televisão. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  38. "Alcatraz – Televízia Markíza".
  39. "Nový seriál Alcatraz prichádza. Markíza nasadzuje upútavky". June 18, 2013.
  40. "Alcatraz:M-Net". Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  41. "La Sexta estrena 'Alcatraz', lo último de J.J Abrams". La Vanguardia. February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  42. "Alcatraz Serier". Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  43. Stevens, Jenny (February 16, 2012). "On location in chilling Alcatraz". Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  44. Lambert, David (June 13, 2012). "Alcatraz – 'The Complete Series' Announced for DVD, Blu-ray: Street Date, Extras, Packaging". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  45. "Alacatraz: The Complete Series (Blu-Ray)". WBshop.com. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Retrieved 8 December 2012.

External links

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