Follows a team of super-powered individuals, known as "Alphas", led by noted neurologist and psychiatrist Lee Rosen, as they investigate criminal cases involving other suspected Alpha for th... Read allFollows a team of super-powered individuals, known as "Alphas", led by noted neurologist and psychiatrist Lee Rosen, as they investigate criminal cases involving other suspected Alpha for the U.S. Department of Defense.Follows a team of super-powered individuals, known as "Alphas", led by noted neurologist and psychiatrist Lee Rosen, as they investigate criminal cases involving other suspected Alpha for the U.S. Department of Defense.
- Awards
- 7 nominations total
Featured reviews
nina has an obviously deep and hidden past, gary's character is interesting and well executed and he has serious tension with Malik's character, it's all very cool.
The show gets right to work. Remember this was the PILOT episode that already went out and was approved with great viewing numbers in the past.
I expect some great things from the future episodes now that the actors and writers have gotten to grow with time.
I do like the psychological aspect of it . And I will give this series a chance , will not judge it from 1 or 2 episodes . There are series that started of slowly and matured into greatness . "The event" is one example , even though they never got back most of the viewers they lost due to a slow start , in my opinion its their loss , as the series turned into one of the best .
I think this is a series that will surprise me more with episodes to come , and I will keep watching it . Characters are quirky , damaged and interesting , and the concept of alphas gives the series a huge white-board to sketch anything they want on it .
I for one am looking forward for more .
Set, apparently, in the same universe as some of SyFy's other flagship soft science fiction series, Alphas revolves around individuals born with mutations that grant them specific enhanced abilities. On the face, it's an X-Men or Heroes clone, and certainly the influences are apparent and toe the line between homage and derivative.
However, the show handles this with great aplomb: the abilities are strictly limited and some effort is made for a scientific explanation for each ability. While it's firmly "soft" science fiction, it is actually science fiction, rather than the "science fantasy" that most of the popular SyFy series cling to.
One great strength of the series is the strict leash on the abilities and the savage downsides that accompany those abilities. One character is autistic. One suffers from social anxiety. One has oscillating medical problems directly resulting from his ability. On top the of the "upside-downside" nature of each ability, the characters are refreshingly nuanced. I never felt like the characters were defined by the advantages of the powers, but rather their more human struggles. It is, first and foremost, a science fiction show about a group people, not a group of superheroes.
Perhaps my favorite element of the series, however, is the moral ambiguity of the protagonists' actions. Certainly there are very dangerous Alphas in this universe; people with dangerous abilities, mental imbalances, malice, or a combination of the three. However, in working for the US government, which seeks to curb the rising tide of Alpha activism (and terrorism), the protagonists (and the viewers) find themselves questioning which side is correct. Indeed, the commentary on the use of force to combat terrorism, while heavy-handed at times, is possibly more adroit that most television programs that have attempted such commentary.
I highly recommend Alphas. If you've been turned off by the comic-book nature of many of SyFy's other shows, this is worth look. The only reason I didn't give it 10/10 stars are a few inconsistent abilities that I found a bit of a jump for an otherwise grounded series.
I suppose that when an intriguing series is cut short after only two seasons, that truncation leaves aficionados of the performers with keenly whetted curiosities, eager for more, somehow, some way, some day.
Usually Syfy TV series are awful. Usually the special effects in Syfy TV series are terrible. However, in "Alphas" they were pretty good. The characters were also credible and developed. I think Syfy should have had at least 1 more season. I think there was enough potential content to fill another season. Syfy also should have allowed "Alphas" to have an ending with finality, something where viewers would be satisfied. It appears to me the writers for "Alphas" wanted to continue with another season but Syfy just cancelled them.
In a situation such as this, where the Network wants to cancel, I think Syfy should have at least allowed 1 more episode to allow for a definitive ending for the series.
Good series, 8 out of 10.
Did you know
- TriviaAlphas was originally called "Section 8, Alphas" during development. Although initially developed in 2006, it wasn't until 2009 that it was picked up by a network.
- Quotes
[opening theme]
Trey Lockerbie: [singing] Don't take "no" for an answer / 'nd there's no telling where we've been... / 'Cause people don't understand, understand, understand / People don't understand / People like me.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Big Review: Summer TV Special (2012)
- How many seasons does Alphas have?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime
- 44m
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD