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The third television series of The Tomorrow People began airing on the CW Television Network during the 2013–14 American television season. It is a reboot of the Original Series concept.[1]

Development[]

Greg Berlanti (co-creator/executive producer of Arrow) spent eight years[2] trying to secure the rights to The Tomorrow People, and finally acquired them from from FremantleMedia.[3] He then called Julie Plec (co-creator/executive producer of The Vampire Diaries) and asked her to produce the US version. The pair had been good friends from college and were both fans of the show.[4] The pilot episode was written by Phil Klemmer (Political Animals, Chuck), who is also an executive producer on the series.[5]

At a Q&A session at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, Berlanti said, "What attracted me probably the most to it when I was a kid was 'You're not just different or a freak, you're actually special.' These kids are the next step in evolution."[6]

Danny Cannon (executive producer on the pilot episode) said that the show is "a more grounded" take on the X-Men: "The show could be any kid on any block on any street in any country. And I think it's a super easy show to relate to in that way and I really like the feet-on-the-ground approach to the show."[7]

Comparison With Original Series[]

As in the original, the Tomorrow People are the next stage of human evolution and possess paranormal powers. Both shows feature the characters of Stephen Jameson and John (who is given the last name Young in the reboot series), and the groups' headquarters are located in abandoned subway stations. The pilot episodes of both center around Stephen and his emergence as a Tomorrow Person.

Both shows also feature a character named Jedikiah; in the new series he is a human named Jedikiah Price, whereas in the original he was a shape-shifting robot.

At the SDCC, Phil Klemmer said that there will be nods to the Original Series, including the appearance of the bio-computer TIM in every episode.[8]

Premise[]

In New York City, a seemingly "normal" high school student named Stephen, begins teleporting in his sleep and hearing voices in his head. Desperate for answers, he listens to one of the voices and comes into contact with John, Cara and Russell -- members of a genetically advanced race with paranormal abilties. Hunting them is a paramilitary group called Ultra, led by scientist Jedikiah Price, who sees the Tomorrow People as a threat to the human race.[5]

Opening Narration (Season 1)
"My name is Stephen Jameson. I'm one of the Tomorrow People, the next step in human evolution. They call our powers the Three Ts: telepathy, telekinesis, and teleportation. There is a shadow war going on between us and Ultra, a secret organization that hunts us. The only way to keep my species from going extinct is to find my father. The only way to do that, is by working for the enemy."

Cast[]

Episodes[]

See List of Tomorrow People (U.S. TV Series) episodes

The initial order for the season was 13 episodes.

On 10 October 2013, the CW ordered three additional scripts for the first season of the series.[9]

On 11 November 2013, the CW ordered the "back nine" episodes, bringing the total for season 1 to the full 22 episodes.[10]

Reception[]

Pilot & Season 1[]

The pilot episode was screened at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con, to mixed but overall positive reviews.

  • Collider.Com's Elena Butler wrote: "The series is a must-watch for those fans who love the superhero genre and who were fans of shows like Heroes. It’s action-packed, thrilling, but also has lighter moments that will make you laugh."[11]
  • Michael Idato of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote: "At first glance, this show is spot on. It honours the original without fundamentally altering it or leaning into it too heavily. And in many respects, like Doctor Who or any number of sci-fi shows from this era, it benefits enormously from modern special effects, which knead the concept into something a little more dazzling than the original."[12]
  • Robert Christie of the website Headlines & Global News wrote that "it seems the plot line is very cliché," but "Despite this fact, the show has immense potential," given that "there are some good twists in the show," and that the series has the same executive producers as The Vampire Diaries and Arrow.[13]

On 30 July 2013, Mark Berman of TV Media Insights gave the show's survival 3-1 odds (based on 1-1 to 10-1 odds), due to the popularity of its lead-in show Arrow.[14]

In an article titled "Can The CW save televised sci-fi?", The Onion's A.V. Club said of the show: "The Tomorrow People is about transhumanism, the idea that humans in the future will — through some combination of evolution, technology, and determination — become entirely different from our current concept of humanity. While this is not necessarily opposed to traditional superhero storytelling, it is different in its exploration, which leads it away from other speculative-fiction genres and hones in on science fiction."[15]

In an analysis of The CW's 2013 fall season, Jethro Nededog of TheWrap.com wrote that "reviews were similarly mixed for 'The Tomorrow People'; critics felt that its writing made up for what they felt was a silly premise." He forecasted that the show would get a full-season order, but that "a second season isn’t a sure thing."[16]

On 10 November 2013, Jessica Hickam of Sheknows.com praised the fifth episode of season 1 "All Tomorrow's Parties", saying it was "definitely the best episode yet, and we found ourselves feeling hopeful about the future of the show." She then went on to list ten reason why "the show is getting good", citing "the fight scenes", "Stephen's growth", "Jedikiah finally had a win", and "the plot is getting deeper", among others.[17]

On 03 December 2013, Zap2it's TV by the Numbers gave the show a Renew/Cancel Index of 0.92, indicating "toss up between renewal or cancellation by May, 2014".[18]

Metacritic Score[]

As of 12 October 2013, the series has a 49 out of 100 score on Metacritic, indicating "Mixed or average reviews," based on 22 critics. The User Score is 7.4 out of 10, "Generally favorable reviews", based on 27 ratings.[19]

Production Information[]

Locations

The pilot episode was filmed in New York City (including the subway system), but subsequent episodes will be shot in Vancouver, BC.[20]

Executive Producers
Co-executive producer
  • Melissa Kellner Berman
Production Companies
  • Bonanza Productions Inc.
  • Berlanti Productions
  • CBS Television Studios
  • FremantleMedia North America
  • Warner Bros. Television

Media[]

Source: JustJaredJr

Cast and crew at the 2013 Television Critics Association Summer press tour. (Source: JustJaredJr.com)
Other promotional photos

References[]

  1. http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2012/11/13/cw-rebooting-the-tomorrow-people/
  2. ‘The Tomorrow People’ Finally Has Its Day, blogs.wsj.com
  3. http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/cw-greenlights-greg-berlanti-julie-plecs-tomorrow-people-david-marshall-grant-produced-blink-as-pilots/
  4. 'Vampire Diaries' exec 'always wanted to remake The Tomorrow People', digitalspy.com
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Tomorrow People, cwtv.com
  6. Comic-Con 2013: 'Tomorrow People' premieres with Robbie Amell, Greg Berlanti and Peyton List
  7. "The Tomorrow People promises a grounded approach to superpowers", io9.com
  8. The Tomorrow People: Phil Klemmer & Danny Cannon Talk Original Series Connections, ksitetv.com
  9. Additional Scripts for 'The Tomorrow People', 'The Originals' and 'Reign' Ordered by The CW, tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com, retrieved 10 October 2013
  10. The CW Hands Full Seasons to ‘Originals,’ ‘Tomorrow People,’ ‘Reign’, variety.com, retrieved 11 November 2013
  11. http://collider.com/comic-con-tomorrow-people-almost-human-the-100-originals-pilots/
  12. Yesterday's heroes look to the future, theage.com.au
  13. The Tomorrow People Preview: CW Show Has Great Potential; Super Powers and Love Triangles are Always Good, hngn.com, retrieved 26 August 2013
  14. http://www.tvmediainsights.com/highlights/28476/the-tomorrow-people-cw-3-1-odds/
  15. "Can The CW save televised sci-fi?", avclub.com, retrieved 03 October 2013
  16. CW’s Fall Season So Far: What’s Working, What’s Not and Why, thewrap.com, retrieved 04 November 2013
  17. Top 10 reasons The Tomorrow People is heating up, sheknows.com, retrieved 11 November 2013
  18. CW: 'Reign' & 'The Tomorrow People' Will Battle 'The 100' & 'Star-Crossed' For One Or Two Renewals, tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com, retrived 03 December 2013
  19. The Tomorrow People, metacritic.com,, retrieved 12 October 2013
  20. 'Tomorrow People' talk today, usatoday.com

External links[]

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