Paradox

Yes, it's not an American TV show. So you will not find tons of special effects, sophisticated action scenes and so on. In the other hand, you can count on a very intelligent script, good acting and very nice and well prepared suspense scenes. Actually, this TV show follows a kind of UK productions (and, being more specific, BBC productions) tradition, to present series with this quality (Survivors is another good example). Hopefully we will have more than the already predefined 5 episodes and, hopefully, the audience will not be frustrated with a premature end, without a convenient conclusion that bring some light to all open questions (what, unfortunately is quite common nowadays in other TV shows).

Why, when the majority of the comments on this series are positive, is IMDb displaying only the negative ones on the first page and one has to delve deeper to find those that give the series praise? Also if anyone reading this looks closely at the negative comments and reads how many people found the comment useful, they will see that it's quoted as 5 out of 15, or something similar. Personally I found it far better than the big budget, typically glam, US production, Flash Forward, which, so I read on EZTV, because of low viewing figures may not be returning after the mid-season break. I recommend that you give this series a chance, you'll enjoy it!

If you are used to the standard police drama series where innovation rarely stretches your imagination or that of the characters beyond taking them to yet another obscure region of the UK or US then this will refresh your parts that other police shows cannot reach! This is less of a 'whodunnit' and more of 'whydidit?'. This series takes a very familiar genre and turns it on its head in a way that is refreshingly new. In the true style of Brit police shows this is dark and tortured, this is not a glossy American show with more style than substance. The actors are excellent and the 'will they, won't they?' is very well done. A 'must watch'!

Although the first episode is not particularly engaging (not a good sign) I persevered and from the second story on they have definitely got better and better.

The thing that makes this series most interesting to me isn't the science fictiony bits - not that there's really that much involved in this story. The main influence of science fiction on the plot is mainly on the delivery of the plot line pictures but the suspense in the story comes down to good old character interaction and the way that that the three police officers interact with each other and the scientist running the satellite that appears to be taking the photographs that are cuing the police into the incidents they are investigating.

Each of the characters has a particular view on what these pictures represent, from the DS's continuing scepticism of the photographs reality to the scientist's belief that the pictures are showing the future but he has issues with his bosses in the shadowy section of the MoD that is contracting the work he's doing.

It's been good in the way that the Beeb haven't shied away from letting people die - this power has not given the cops god-like abilities to change the future, and there have been moral dilemmas as to who can be saved.

All-in-all an interesting set of story lines.

This series was weak in many ways, as well as being strong in many ways. Cool concept, wish to see an updated version improving on the weakness of the first attempt!