Colony (TV series) explained

Genre:
Creator:
Starring:
Composer:Clinton Shorter
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:3
Num Episodes:36
Executive Producer:
Location:
Cinematography:
  • Checco Varese
  • Jeffery Jur
Editor:Rick Shane
Russell Denove
Sarah Boyd
Christopher Nelson
Runtime:50 minutes
Company:
Network:USA Network

Colony is an American science fiction drama television series created by Carlton Cuse and Ryan J. Condal, starring Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies.[3] A ten-episode first season premiered with an online preview release of the first episode on USA Network's website on December 15, 2015, following the launch of a game-like website[4] to promote the show.

The series had its broadcast premiere on USA Network on January 14, 2016.[5] In April 2017, Colony was renewed for a third season which premiered on May 2, 2018.[6] [7] On July 21, 2018, USA Network announced they had cancelled the series after three seasons.[8]

Setting

In a dystopian near-future Los Angeles, residents live under a regime of military occupation by an organization known as the Transitional Authority. The Authority serves an extraterrestrial group referred to as the "Hosts", about whom little is known until later in the series (an alien robotic race finds itself hunted, who came to Earth to use humans as allies and labor in their own battle). The symbol of the collaborating forces features stylized birds of prey, or raptors, which gives rise to their nickname, the "Raps". The Authority enforces Host policy via militarized police called Homeland Security and nicknamed the "Redhats" for the red helmet cover of their otherwise black tactical attire.

The Hosts took control on a day known simply as the "Arrival". That day began with a global blackout and mass technological failure, which came after a weeklong hunt for relevant key figures around the world. Late that day, massive rectangular blocks descended from the sky, linking together to build walls dividing every city and every nation. One of these walls, 20 to 30 stories tall, many meters thick and many miles in length, surrounds the central part of Los Angeles, where the series is set. Other similar walls have been constructed around neighbouring urban areas, called "blocs", with the whole referred to as a "colony". Traffic passes through the walls at heavily secured checkpoints, called "gateways", which allow the Authority to strictly control the movement of people and the distribution of consumables, such as food and fuel, which are rationed. The geographical extent of the alien invasion is unclear, but later scenes in the series shows Authority members from all over the world - hence making the invasion scale worldwide.

A privileged class of elites, drawn by the Hosts from the local population, are denigrated by some bloc residents as collaborators. The ruling forces maintain control through the separation of family members, shoot-on-sight curfews, forced disappearances, random checkpoints, frequent electronic identity checks, limitation of motor vehicle usage (most people walk or ride bicycles), pervasive visual propaganda, slave labor in a place called the "Factory" (later revealed to be located on the Earth's moon to mine radioactive materials), and massive continuous electronic surveillance with both hidden cameras as well as Host-provided drone aircraft that launch from hangar bays inside the wall and capable of killing humans by extremely lethal high energy weaponry. Some medical problems, such as diabetes, have been "deemed unworthy for treatment" by the Hosts, to cull the population and eradicate weakness (as strong humans are needed for off-world labour and the Hosts' war effort).

A resistance movement is referred to as both the "Resistance" and the "Insurgency". An informal barter-based black market has also sprung up, trading in surplus materials and home-produced goods.

Allusion to historical events

In a May 21, 2015, interview with Collider, executive producer Carlton Cuse stated that the show was "conceived as a metaphor for France during the Nazi occupation".[9] In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, co-creator Ryan Condal detailed that the original concept behind Colony was that they "were actually inspired by Nazi-occupied Paris during WWII, where people went on living their lives, having coffee in street-side cafes while Nazi officers marched along the roads".[10]

Plot

The series begins less than a year after the arrival of aliens who occupy Earth. It follows the Bowmans and their extended family in Los Angeles. Their son, Charlie, was on a school sports trip and was separated from them when alien walls sectioned off part of the city. The father, Will Bowman, is a former FBI agent and retired Army Ranger who reluctantly joins the Redhats (humans collaborating with the aliens) and is tasked with tracking down members of the Resistance, after being threatened that he and his family would be sent to "the Factory" if he did not comply. Unbeknownst to Will, his wife, Katie, is an operative in the Resistance. She later reveals this, and they begin to trade information. Their son, Bram, discovers a way under the wall, and later joins a rival resistance group.

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Notes

Episodes

Specials

Reception

Critical response

The show has received generally positive reviews. On Metacritic it holds a score of 69/100, based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a score of 84%, based on 31 reviews. The critics' consensus reads: "Colony offers an engaging enough narrative, a few scares, and an overall good time, even if none of it is particularly original".

Stephen King praised the series, saying: "In a year of remarkable TV, Colony is really something special: smart, suspenseful, subversive... thought-provoking".[27]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2016 Directors Guild of Canada Awards[28] Best Sound Editing – Television Series Elma Bellow, John Loranger, Joe Mancuso, Jill Purdy, John Sexton, Adam Stein, Craig MacLellan
Saturn Awards[29] Best Science Fiction Television Series Colony
2017 Saturn Awards[30] Best Science Fiction Television Series Colony
2018 Saturn Awards[31] Best Science Fiction Television Series Colony

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Colony Season 3 Starts Filming in Vancouver Area . September 7, 2017 .
  2. Web site: 'Colony' Renewed For Season 3 By USA, Production Moving From LA To Vancouver . Nellie . Andreeva . April 4, 2017 .
  3. Abrams . Natalie . USA orders Carlton Cuse drama Colony to Series . . . February 3, 2015 . February 3, 2015.
  4. Web site: Welcome to the Colony . . . December 26, 2015.
  5. News: Friedlander . Whitney . USA Sets Premiere Dates for 'Colony,' Donny Deutsch Comedy . . . August 12, 2015 . August 12, 2015.
  6. Web site: 'Colony' Renewed for Season 3 . Roots . Kimberly . April 4, 2017 . April 4, 2017 . . April 4, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170404234005/http://tvline.com/2017/04/04/colony-renewed-season-3-usa-network/ . dead .
  7. News: Colony Season 3 Premiere Date! – So Many Shows! . March 21, 2018 . So Many Shows!. March 21, 2018 . en-US.
  8. Web site: 'Colony' Canceled By USA Network After 3 Seasons . Andreeva . Nellie . Deadline Hollywood. July 21, 2018 . July 22, 2018.
  9. Web site: Carlton Cuse Talks Origins of COLONY, World War II Influence, and Tone . Cabin . Chris . May 21, 2015 . Collider . March 11, 2019.
  10. Web site: Don't call 'Colony' an alien invasion drama, says Carlton Cuse . EW . March 11, 2019.
  11. News: Goldberg . Lesley . USA Network's 'Colony', Starring Josh Holloway, Ordered to Series . . . March 6, 2015 . February 3, 2015.
  12. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Amanda Righetti Joins Carlton Cuse's USA Pilot 'Colony' . Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . January 7, 2016 . October 22, 2014.
  13. Web site: The Deadline Team . Tory Kittles Moves To 'The Colony'; Kevin Rahm In 'Bates Motel' . Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . January 7, 2016 . October 30, 2014.
  14. Zero Day . 9 . March 10, 2016 . Colony . Katie . Bowman . 33 . What are you reading? Grace Kathryn. Let me see.. (spelling Kathryn per closed captions)
  15. Web site: Swift . Andy . The CW's Searchers Pilot Recruits Colony Regular Jacob Buster . . Penske Media Corporation . March 21, 2017 . March 2, 2017.
  16. Web site: 'Colony's' Carlton Cuse on 'Lost' Easter Eggs, WWII Inspiration and What's Next . The Hollywood Reporter. January 21, 2016 . January 23, 2016.
  17. Web site: 'Colony': Ally Walker to Recur Season One . The Hollywood Reporter. September 3, 2015 . January 23, 2016.
  18. News: D'Alessandro . Anthony . 'Colony' At Comic-Con: Carlton Cuse Reveals String Of Guest Stars . Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . December 26, 2015 . July 10, 2015.
  19. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Peter Jacobson, Alex Neustaedter & Gonzalo Menendez Join USA Pilot 'Colony' . . Penske Media Corporation . January 7, 2016 . October 24, 2014.
  20. Web site: USA's 'Colony' Casts Adrian Pasdar and Kathryn Morris for Recurring Roles (EXCLUSIVE) . Variety. August 10, 2015 . February 5, 2016.
  21. Guest star Thora Birch played Morgan in season 1
  22. Web site: Ausiello . Michael . Colony Recast: Bethany Joy Lenz In, Thora Birch Out in Season 2 . TVLine . August 31, 2016 . September 1, 2016 . January 17, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170117034819/http://tvline.com/2016/08/31/colony-season-2-morgan-recast-bethany-joy-lenz-replaces-thora-birch/ . dead .
  23. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Thora Birch Joins USA's Alien Drama Series Colony . Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . September 18, 2015 . September 18, 2015.
  24. Web site: Friedlander . Whitney . Thora Birch Joins Colony from Carlton Cuse, Starring Josh Holloway . Variety . Penske Media Corporation . September 18, 2015 . September 18, 2015.
  25. Web site: Petski. Denise. 'Colony' Season 2 Adds William Russ, Keiko Agena & Paolo Andino As Recurring. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. March 21, 2017. November 16, 2016.
  26. News: Colony Season 3: Wayne Brady and More! – So Many Shows! . February 4, 2018 . So Many Shows!. March 4, 2018.
  27. StephenKing . 701569702263390210 . In a year of remarkable TV, COLONY is really something special: smart, suspenseful, subversive...thought-provoking. . February 21, 2016 . March 10, 2016 . Stephen . King . Stephen King.
  28. Web site: 2016 Directors Guild of Canada Awards nominees announced . TV, eh? . March 3, 2017 . June 22, 2016.
  29. Web site: Bryant . Jacob . 'Star Wars,' 'Mad Max,' 'Walking Dead' Lead Saturn Awards Nominations . Variety . March 3, 2017 . February 24, 2016.
  30. Web site: Saturn Awards Nominations 2017: 'Rogue One,' 'Walking Dead' Lead . McNary . Dave . . March 2, 2017 . March 2, 2017.
  31. Web site: 'Black Panther,' 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations . McNary . Dave . . March 15, 2018 . March 15, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180316023438/http://variety.com/2018/film/news/saturn-awards-nominations-2018-black-panther-walking-dead-1202727752/ . March 16, 2018.

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