USA’s new sci-fi drama doesn’t have an X factor… yet.
At this point, TV has gotten oversaturated with “mysterious alien invasion” dramas, but USA now has their own take with Colony, starring Josh Holloway (Lost) and Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead) as a couple in a dystopian, near-future Los Angeles. It’s pretty vague in the pilot episode, but the gist is that LA (and presumably other cities) have been walled off under a military regime run by outside (extraterrestrial?) intruders. While most citizens have chosen to cooperate with these enigmatic authorities, pockets of resistance are cropping up.
This is where we meet Will (Holloway) and Katie (Callies) Bowman, whose son has gone missing. In an attempt to find him, Will tries to smuggle himself into Santa Monica, another walled-off “Colony Bloc.” It isn’t long, though, before he gets captured and is faced with a difficult decision. It’s all very dense, indistinct stuff, with trite-sounding terms like “Hosts,” “Raps,” “Redhats,” the “Factory” and the “Arrival.” Honestly, none of the actual mythology is particularly interesting, at least not in this first episode.
What does resonate, somewhat, are the character dynamics. It’s easy to relate to Will and Katie as parents, especially considering the loss of their son. Right off the bat, they’re given very clear motives, and each of them do their part to further their goal. The more obvious of these is Will’s journey in the premiere, as we learn he and his family aren’t exactly who they say they are. Katie’s storyline here is more inert, but she too is harboring a secret that could prove interesting in future episodes.
We want to hear it.
That said, the sci-fi elements in this are very paint-by-numbers and don’t offer a unique feel to them. They all seem plucked from other shows and haphazardly repurposed to suit whatever story Colony is trying to tell — which, at the moment, is not very clear in terms of the world-building. Again, it’s strongest assets are the characters. Will’s setup in the premiere, for example, puts him in a solitary position that’s unlike a lot of what we’ve seen in other similar shows. In fact, it should dovetail nicely with Katie’s own trajectory as well.
Colony is one of those series that needs time to grow and develop before one can determine if it’s any good. The result could very well be disappointing and exactly as uninteresting as it comes off in the premiere. Then again, it could also take off with the help of its compelling leads, which also include Peter Jacobson (House, M.D.), Amanda Righetti (The Mentalist) and Tory Kittles (True Detective). Alas, the pilot lacks the hook it needs to draw viewers in from the get-go.
USA’s new sci-fi drama Colony almost entirely rests on the shoulders of its actors and characters. Josh Holloway and Sarah Wayne Callies both deliver solid performances in this first episode, and their couple dynamic could prove to be the key ingredient of this show. What doesn’t really work is the world Colony is building, which doesn’t really have anything to set it apart from other dystopian alien stories. Hopefully the story will come into its own as the series progresses.
Colony premieres Thursday, January 14 at 10/9c on USA. You can also watch the pilot online now at USANetwork.com.
