Revolution Trailer: JJ Abrams’ New Post-Apocalyptic TV Series
What would your life be like without electricity?
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NBC recently released it’s schedule for the 2012-2013 television season. Among the list of eleven new shows is Revelution, a post-apocalyptic series from producers J.J. Abrams and John Favreau, the guys behind Lost and Iron Man, respectively. Hot on the heels of this announcement, the network released a lengthy trailer for the show.
Here’s the official story from the NBC website:
Our entire way of life depends on electricity. So what would happen if it just stopped working? Well, one day, like a switch turned off, the world is suddenly thrust back into the dark ages. Planes fall from the sky, hospitals shut down, and communication is impossible. And without any modern technology, who can tell us why?
Now, 15 years later, life is back to what it once was long before the industrial revolution: families living in quiet cul-de-sacs, and when the sun goes down, the lanterns and candles are lit. Life is slower and sweeter. Or is it?
On the fringes of small farming communities, danger lurks. And a young woman’s life is dramatically changed when a local militia arrives and kills her father, who mysteriously – and unbeknownst to her – had something to do with the blackout. This brutal encounter sets her and two unlikely companions off on a daring coming-of-age journey to find answers about the past in the hopes of reclaiming the future.
While not the most original set up, there is definite potential in Revolution. I’m a sucker for anything post-apocalyptic, with a special soft spot for concepts that drop you into the mix some time after the fact. I like it when society and norms have evolved, when there is a shared historical trauma, and when a show envisions an entirely new world. It is a different feel from shows like The Walking Dead or Falling Skies that deal firsthand with the apocalyptic event and the immediate aftermath. Basically I’m a chump for a good world building exercise.
Whether or not Revolution delivers on its promise remains to be seen. Abrams’ shows are hit and miss. For every Fringe there is an Undercovers. I can’t help but be a little reminded of Kevin Costner’s The Postman when I watch this trailer, and everyone looks a little too clean (how is it that after the end of the world everyone still shaves every day?). But on the other hand, there also looks to be a lot of swordplay, and that stuff Billy Burke does at the bar with the knife is pretty badass.
A return to feudalism, the rise of militias, a post-apocalyptic landscape, J.J. Abrams, you had me at hello. Revolution will air Mondays at 10pm, and stars Andrea Roth, Graham Rodgers, Giancarlo Esposito, Billy Burke, Tim Guinee, JD Pardo, and Zak Orth.
