Dallas Public Library

Survivors, BBC ; created and written by Adrian Hodges ; directed by John Alexander ; produced by Hugh Warren, Complete seasons one and two

eng

videorecording

Not rated

Survivors

609912125

Originally broadcast by BBC1 2008-2010

BBC ; created and written by Adrian Hodges ; directed by John Alexander ; produced by Hugh Warren

733

A plague of global proportions. Anarchy in the streets. The collapse of government and the rule of law--perhaps even the end of civilization itself!--followed by the rise of tyranny and vigilantism. There's heavy stuff happening in Survivors, a British sci-fi drama offered here with all 12 episodes from its first two (and so far only) seasons on five discs. Although it shares a title, original writer (Terry Nation), and several character names with a mid-'70s series, this is apparently not a remake. But the basic idea, detailed in the 90-minute pilot episode, is the same: Present-day Britain has fallen prey to a particularly nasty influenza virus. Within days, it's clear that the disease won't be easily contained; within a couple of weeks, at least 90 percent of the population has died from it, not merely in England but across the planet. As the world as they know it quickly falls apart--no electricity, no communications, no mass transit, no readily available medical care--and those who survived due to immunity start to sort themselves out, the show narrows its focus on one disparate and distinctly multicultural group: Abby (Julie Graham), the de facto leader, who's determined to find the son she's convinced is still alive; Tom (Max Beesley), who was doing time for robbery and murder when the virus struck; Anya (Zoe Tapper), an attractive young doctor; Greg (Peterson Joseph), a would-be loner whose life had already been falling apart; Al (Phillip Rhys), a rich, lazy ne'er do well; and Najid, a devout, 11-year-old Muslim. The remaining episodes follow this core bunch as they cope with their strange new world--a world in which, as Tom puts it, "we make our own law now."

general

live action