Outcasts

I don't normally write reviews but I was compelled to do so for this series in light of many of the general downbeat comments. I have to say that I am enjoying this show. Like anything new, I believe it is important to give it a chance and by the third episode I was finding it to be quite a good series, for what it is - light evening entertainment. It's filled with plot holes and the characterisation is a little light, but when you have an 8 episode series character development probably isn't going to be a major factor of a show, particularly in action dominated sci-fi. The concept is interesting, and hopefully more questions about what happened on earth and why there is no military presence in the colony will be answered over the series. The acting is good, as are the set pieces and most of the FX, particularly in episode 3. Script wise it is at times a little clunky but I think the actors have done a respectable job with what they have to work with.

A note now on all the "one star" reviews. Writing a negative review and brandishing one star ratings is unfortunately a way for people to excercise a little bit of the power that is lacking in their life. I do not believe this series is a one star show, but that is my opinion. I think people can state if they truly feel something is poor without resorting to some of the vindictive things being said here. No one deliberately sets out to make a bad show just to ruin your day. Many people have worked very hard on this series (and no I am not one of them or affiliated with anybody involved). Ultimately it is about entertainment, and if people do not like it, don't watch it. Why waste your time writing such horrid things. There are zillions of channels to choose from now. Often the comments people write online are things they would never dare say to someones face, and are a complete overeaction to what is in reality just a TV show. All that negative energy could be channelled into something much more constructive.

So, soldier on Outcasts. I for one am enjoying the ride, and grateful to the BBC for trying something new in sci-fi.

I started watching this series and as it progressed it got better and better. The plot was very enthralling and kept me wanting to see more and more.The way the the story progresses with the 2 types of foes and how it all started was excellent. I was looking to see more of the turmoil between the two groups. After 3 episodes I was hooked well and truly. I was extremely disappointed that the series was terminated only after 8 episodes just at the point where a third element was added to the story line. I cannot understand why the TV stations start something and after a short time they decide to scrap it without any consultation to the many avid followers of the series. I do hope they reconsider and bring it back.

I read the previous review, and I totally disagree. Em Squared apparently hasn't got a clue about the sci-fi genre. He condemns the lack of "phasers" and the abundance of lens flare. My friend, you need to stop watching Star Trek, I believe that 20 times is enough... Now, in my opinion this series was a good one, the only down side to it might be the fact that it got canceled ahead of time. The story is decent, and so are the performances. It has that bit of drama which reminds you that you are not watching a continuous gun/"phaser"/light saber fight. All in all, I would definitely recommend it for all SG and BSG fans.

Well Outcasts has finished its first season and the odds of there being a second season are small. It started of slow, with to much story and with some cringe worthy dialogue. It has grown though and I think that by the end it had the making of a decent second season. People forget that the first season of ST:TNG was pretty awful and it grew into an extremely good series. These things take time and with the way the BBC is funded it is able to do so. Unfortunately I doubt the BBC will though. Fingers crossed I am wrong though.

The production values are quite good considering as is the special effects. The actors have grown into their character and I think the direction is good. My biggest problem is with some of the writing, I can understand what the writer was doing but some of the characters are just two dimensional and the dialogue and character conflicts don't help a lot of the time (a problem I also with New BST as well). I think the series would have been better received if there had been epic space battles and dog fights but the writer has been brave to try and go down a different route and in the end it just works. This is proper SF and should be applauded for it.

I do think 10 minutes could have been losted from most of the episodes and that would have helped with the pacing. Overall the series wasn't as bad as many have said and there could be much more. I also hate the fact that they have finished the series on a cliff hanger and hope that even if they don't do a second series they do a two hour special to finish it off.

I just watched the first two episodes on playback. you're all spot on. It really is utter tripe. I agree that there was a certain schadenfreude to be had from laughing AT it, well in episode one anyway. By episode two the joke had run dry and I was just bored. I mean where do you start with this tripe?

The actors are terrible. Even the good ones. In fairness how do you act clumsy and bungling lines of dialogue like "Your baby is very ill.. and if it doesn't get better soon... it's going to die" The rest is just meaningless techno drivel and insulting exposition.

On top of the incompetent script writer, the director is obviously inept too. He seems to have given them all the same subtext note before each scene "Remember you have a migraine and its pissing you off, action!" oh except for Hermione Norris who had an extra instruction of "Hermione you can smell burning s**t, action!" and Liam Cunningham who had the note "Liam you just really would rather be sleeping, you are so tired and bored oh and don't forget the migraine, action!"

I laughed out loud in the scene with the president (of what? the whole planet? or that bunker?) he is just stood in a corridor with his arms folded, and some faceless other character giving him a hard time, and he says "Look I haven't got time for these questions, okay!".. err you're just stood in an empty corridor staring at a wall, mate... Again the constant stream of feckless moments like this are not the actors fault. This is shoddy directing pure and simple. If you have a character saying he's busy, then you make him look busy!! Jesus! It's not brain surgery!!

other than two old timers looking very much like they have realised they are damaging their reputations every minute this c**p on screen, the rest of the 'younger' cast are just bottom of the barrel Hollyoaks and Holby City quality actors who are just happy to have a job on telly. They don't have the slightest idea how to deliver a performance for a genre piece like this.

The biggest problem of all though and the one that will bury this show is

THERE ISN'T A SINGLE LIKABLE CHARACTER... NOT ONE!

You literal despise every one of them and want them to die, know its worse, you DON'T CARE whether they live or die or not!

This is a rookie mistake for drama. Every good writer and director knows you need to root for at least one of the characters.

Where are the standards at the BBC now? is there anyone working there who has any experience in delivering quality drama? or is it just university graduates with a masters in accounting and media? you could weep to think about the salary of the person who commissioned this amateur hour mess