The CW Greenlights Three Sci-Fi Series, Passes On One More
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When the 2013-2014 television season premieres this fall, the airwaves are going to be heavy with science fiction. Specifically, there will be a great deal more genre fare for younger audiences, as the CW has given the go-ahead for a trio of new sci-fi series aimed at teens. The network has picked up The 100, Star-Crossed, and The Tomorrow People. On the other hand, network execs have decided to pass on a second pilot for the Hunger Games-esque series The Selection.
Based on an upcoming series of young adult books, The 100 is the story of a human society that, following a destructive nuclear war, took to living in space. That’s a similar premise to both Oblivion and Elysium. After a while, 100 juvenile delinquents are sent back to determine if it’s yet possible to re-colonize the surface of Earth. You also hear echoes of After Earth in this. The series stars Kelly Hu from Arrow and Henry Ian Cusick from Lost.
Formerly known as Oxygen, Star-Crossed is, as you might infer from the title, the story of a troubled young romance. In this case, the couple is a human girl and an alien boy, so the plot may involve actual stars eventually. Despite a society where aliens and humans are becoming integrated, there are still various hurdles of intolerance for the budding romance to overcome. Most of the aliens are fresh out of internment camps, which is a wound that probably still stings. I imagine that could breed some resentment. Matt Lanter (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Friday Night Lights’s Aimee Teegarden are the stars, presumably the Romeo and Juliet characters.
The Tomorrow People is a remake of the much-beloved UK series from the 1970s, one that often garners comparisons to X-Men. A group of young people, ostensibly the next wave of human evolution—known as homo superior—gain special powers like telekinesis and the ability to teleport. The show has already been through a number of incarnations. Mark Pellegrino (Lost) and Robbie Amell (1600 Penn) appear in the cast.
Though it added three new sci-fi themed programs to the schedule, the CW also decided not to move forward with The Selection, an adaptation of Kiera Cass’ YA novel. Centered around a futuristic royal court and a reality show where young women compete to win the affection of a prince, this is the second pilot in two years that hasn’t made the grade. This version is said to be an improvement over the first attempt, but it still failed to measure up.
