Century City

Okay...so it is gone, and it doesn't sound as if it will be mourned very heavily. Well, it should be. I know they started out with some pretty High-tech cases...i.e. cloning, cyber-rape... but they almost had to if they wanted to get their point across that this was a show about a few years in the future when things are different. If they were to be anything at all in the ballpark of the time-period that has shows like the Practice, Law & Order (ad infinitum) and so on..it would just be another show like the rest with maybe some different clothes and some newer or geekier cars. Sort of the "dam**d if you do, dam*d if you don't" syndrome. Off-hand, I rather liked the show. One heckuva lot better than "the Guardian". But, unfortunately...once something is deemed sci-fi it is doomed from many people's viewing. Too bad. Don't know what they are missing. And, unfortunately...I DO know what I will be missing!!

Mike

It's being shown in Universal HD, if you have high-def satellite service. I thought it was a brand new program! I guess I blinked and missed it the first time around in 2004...very interesting show. I like the clever use of "future" technology, like the "Mate Finder" device that some people walk around with, like a miniature dating service in a Blackberry. It tweedles when someone who fits your criteria passes you on the street or something. The show I'm watching today also features a child finder device that lets a parent patch into any camera in the city to see what their child is up to. That's the upgraded version. The girl in question staged a kidnapping so she could have a finder chip removed. She is railing against the lack of privacy that her parents concern takes away from her. Some ethical things to think about. Anyway, it's an interesting show...wonder why Sci-Fi didn't pick it up...

I will admit here and now that I found this show on line and the reason I was watching was because of Ioan Gruffudd, that said however I really, really love the concept of this show. The "what if" questions it threw out our scientific advancement is something that needs to be debated as to how it will one day effect society.

However I will admit that this series didn't get off to the best of starts. The Pilot episode was not fantastically well written and the cloning plot line became to complicated. But I think this show, if it had been given time could have worked out a few of its teething problems and really established itself. Perhaps not as the best show on television ever, but I something with an interesting twist, with stories that made you think.

But as many have said, I think a small number of people can accept a futuristic show like this. Some will say that it's not sci-fi because it doesn't have big space ships, or lazer guns and there are no aliens. Me however, well I love this kind of stuff, don't get me wrong I like sci-fi with spaceships and aliens to, but this was taking a look at scientific advancement, that at this time is in it's infancy, and asking where it might be heading.

The characters as well were are really likable and your sort of general assemble of characters. One thing I really liked was the the two women in the show, where strong without being cold hearted or bitchy, they were not ashamed to have emotions. The cast itself as the show went on seemed to be bonding as characters also, and if the show had continued there would most likely have been very enjoyable chemistry between all of them.

I know this show may just seem like another lawyer show, but to be honest I'd rather have a "what if" futuristic lawyer show like this, then just another lawyer show.

Frankly, I'm really tired of lawyer shows, especially ones dealing with civil law. It's a little hard to get enthusiastic about folks who bill you a hundred bucks just to make a photocopy.

BUT-- I enjoy shows dealing with social issues. And shows dealing with impending social issues are all to few. Usually they're limited to shoot-em-ups like the various STAR TREKs or TWILIGHT ZONE / OUTER LIMITS. This is too bad, as the viewer detaches the issue from its real world aspects and might not give it any further thought.

So having a show dealing with the legal issues of things to come is, I think, a good idea. My college Architecture profs used to talk about the idea of a soap opera that could be used to introduce new ideas to the viewing public. Wrap the technology in a nice plot and the viewer can get at least some of the ideas he's missing by not watching PBS or Discovery Channel.

Okay, the lawyers' characters might be as engaging as the cartoon characters on LA LAW or THE PRACTICE but that is a good thing. Make these folks lawyer caricatures and you lose the real purpose of the show, which is to make you think about the impending issues presented.

Not all issues are strictly futuristic. One March 23rd episode plot dealt with child stars. Don Most (HAPPY DAYS) gave a nice performance as a broken down former child star and Daryl Sabara (SPY KIDS) as a current child star afraid of puberty.

CENTURY CITY is a highly intelligent show. Whether it will attract unintelligent viewers is a matter for time to reveal.

Postscript-- Nope. Cancelled with its second episode.

We recently started getting this in the UK, and I think it's a really excellent show.

The good thing that they got right that other 'Sci Fi' shows often don't is it was all believable and thought provoking stuff which dealt with issues which, although in the future, you can easily identify with today.

The characters might have needed a bit of work-a couple of 'off the peg' ones thrown in and you can't help but think 'LA LAW' at times, but there was room to develop that.

Really disappointed to see it was canned after a few episodes-it's stuck away on a small cable channel here so I don't expect a UK uprising to save it, but, I can always hope.