Charlie Jade
Encyclopedia
Charlie Jade is a science fiction
television program
filmed mainly in Cape Town
, South Africa
. It stars Jeffrey Pierce
in the title role, as a detective
from a parallel universe
who finds himself trapped in our universe. This is a Canadian
and South African co-production filmed in conjunction with CHUM Television
and the South African Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). The special effects were produced by the Montreal
-based company Cinegroupe
led by Michel Lemire.
The show started in 2004 and was aired on the Canadian Space Channel. It premiered on the Space Channel April 16, 2005 and is also currently being shown in Eastern Europe
, France
, Italy
, on SABC 3
in South Africa, on Fox Japan (since November 30, 2006), and on AXN
in Hong Kong. The show began airing in the United Kingdom
in October 2007, on FX
. The Sci Fi Channel
in the United States premiered the show on June 6, 2008, but after 2 episodes on Friday prime-time, has moved it to overnight Mon/Tue.
Scripts for the second season of Charlie Jade were written; however, the show was not greenlit
for a second season.
, or a multiverse
. There are several universes that coexist — each somewhat different than the others. As of the first season, these are the universes that have been explored in the TV series:
During the pilot episode, scientists from Vexcor attempt to open a wormhole
from the Alphaverse to the Gammaverse in a bid to drain water from the latter to the former. In Gammaverse, terrorists Bern and Reena — aware of Vexcor's intent — prepare to sabotage the facility. Before the stable wormhole can be completed, a massive explosion at the site of the portal (a large open-air water reservoir) leads to a chain reaction explosion that moves through all three universes. This results in Charlie being thrown from Alphaverse into the Betaverse, into a different Cape Town
that he is unfamiliar with. Reena is also thrown into the Betaverse.
The explosion renders the "link" between universes impassable, which leaves Vexcor employees in Beta and Gamma cut off from their head office in Alpha.
Vexcor attempts to rebuild the link, and re-establish contact. At the same time, they must deal with the P.R. fallout from the explosion, and must try to conceal the true purpose of the facility and what the company was up to. Suspicion initially falls on a Vexcor scientist named Elliot Krogg — but eventually, they discover Reena is in Cape Town, and target her as the terrorist behind the explosion.
Vexcor's attempts to cover their tracks are complicated by Charlie Jade's presence in Beta — and the fact that he soon hooks up with Karl Lubinsky, an expatriate American who runs a conspiracy website devoted to tracking all things Vexcor.
Together, Charlie and Karl gradually divine Vexcor's true intentions — and also uncover a terrible secret promoted by Vexcor's doomed scientist, Elliot Krogg. Krogg wrote a memo to Vexcor HQ detailing a possible catastrophic effect to establishing a long-term link from Alpha to Gamma. If the link is made permanent, it will collapse all matter in the Betaverse, destroying everyone and everything in 'our' world. Karl and Charlie are the only things that stand between our world and annihilation.
Meanwhile, with travel between the universes cut off, Vexcor Alpha must turn to a person who can travel between the universes without a link: 01 Boxer, the son of company founder Brion Boxer.
01 Boxer is made company courier by Essa Rompkin, CEO of Vexcor. He travels by an unknown method that involves dousing himself with water and "slipping" between universes. The method of travel is mysterious, but it results in changes to body chemistry. In later episodes, 01 Boxer's blood is used to transfuse and revitalize his father, who is sick from some genetic malady — perhaps as a result of too much travel between universes.
01 seems to manifest a different personality in each universe. In Alpha he acts like a spoiled child, in Beta he is a hedonistic adolescent, and in Gamma he is a loving husband and father to two children. 01's motivations are mysterious — he can seem like a villain, but he is definitely following his own agenda.
are the creators of Charlie Jade; the original series bible was written by Robert J. Sawyer
and the pilot script was written by Stephen Zoller and Robert Wertheimer.
and the episode "Double Cross" of the series Sliders
, especially in the scenes set in the Alphaverse, Wertheimer has said in interviews that much of the ethos
of the series is primarily influenced by Derrick Jensen
's book The Culture of Make Believe
.
Charlie Jade had two teams of writers. The pilot
and first eight episodes were overseen by executive producer
Guy Mullally, Stephen Zoller and David Cole. Mutual creative differences led to an amicable parting of the ways, paving the way for the second team, consisting of head writer Alex Epstein, and story editor
s Denis McGrath and Sean Carley.
In addition to its Canadian writing staff, the show also featured the work of several South African television writers, including Dennis Venter and Collin Oliphant.
The majority of the directors who worked on the show were from Quebec
, including Pierre Gill
and Eric Canuel
. The pilot was directed by T.J. Scott. Other directors included George Mihalka, Jimmy Kaufman, Anton Beebe, and South Africans Neal Sundstrom, David Hickson and Daryl Roodt.
Each universe has a remarkably different look:
Charlie Jade was considered one of the hot tickets at the MIP show when it was shown there in 2004. However, the series has yet to be picked up in some major territories, though the first three episodes did premier at Cascadia Con on September 2, 2006 in SeaTac, WA. In these areas, the show seems to enjoy a somewhat "underground" appeal, and the entire series has been widely distributed over Internet file sharing
networks.
Charlie Jades challenging narrative, and somewhat controversial take on issues, such as the presentation of a sympathetic "terrorist" character, may have made the show unpalatable for a wide audience.
In June 2005, Canadian broadcaster CHUM
took an unusual step. Admitting that the show required a great level of attention, CHUM commissioned a special catch-up episode, "Can of Worms". Despite the fact that principal photography had been wrapped nine months before, a small crew gathered in Montreal
to film a wraparound story designed to bring new viewers up to speed. "Can of Worms" runs between episodes 16 and 17 of Charlie Jade. Including this episode, there are 21 episodes in Charlie Jades first season.
At the 2006 Gemini Awards
in Toronto, Charlie Jade won the Gemini for Best Sound
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
filmed mainly in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It stars Jeffrey Pierce
Jeffrey Pierce
Jeffrey Pierce is an American actor, film director and film producer. He is best known for portraying the titular character in the television series Charlie Jade. He got his start in acting at the Shakespeare and Company in Lennox, Massachusetts and at the Beverly Hills Playhouse...
in the title role, as a detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
from a parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
who finds himself trapped in our universe. This is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and South African co-production filmed in conjunction with CHUM Television
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
and the South African Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). The special effects were produced by the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
-based company Cinegroupe
CinéGroupe
CinéGroupe Corporation is a Canadian animation studio based in Montreal, Quebec. The company also has offices in nearby Toronto and in the U.S. city of Los Angeles...
led by Michel Lemire.
The show started in 2004 and was aired on the Canadian Space Channel. It premiered on the Space Channel April 16, 2005 and is also currently being shown in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on SABC 3
SABC 3
SABC3 is a commercial South African Broadcasting Corporation television channel that carries programming in English and, as of April 2009, Afrikaans....
in South Africa, on Fox Japan (since November 30, 2006), and on AXN
AXN
AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America...
in Hong Kong. The show began airing in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in October 2007, on FX
FX (UK)
FX is a television channel in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, owned by Fox, launched in 12 January 2004. It was originally branded as FX289 in reference to its Sky EPG number. It was rebranded to FX in May 2005 as the channel moved in the Sky EPG.FX targets a demographic between 25...
. The Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
in the United States premiered the show on June 6, 2008, but after 2 episodes on Friday prime-time, has moved it to overnight Mon/Tue.
Scripts for the second season of Charlie Jade were written; however, the show was not greenlit
Greenlight
To green-light a project is to give permission or a go ahead to move forward with a project. In the context of the movie and TV businesses, to green-light something is to formally approve its production finance, thereby allowing the project to move forward from the development phase to...
for a second season.
Summary of plot
The show utilizes the idea of parallel universesParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
, or a multiverse
Multiverse
The multiverse is the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes that together comprise all of reality.Multiverse may also refer to:-In fiction:* Multiverse , the fictional multiverse used by DC Comics...
. There are several universes that coexist — each somewhat different than the others. As of the first season, these are the universes that have been explored in the TV series:
- The Alphaverse, a dystopiaDystopiaA dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n view of what our future could be like. It is the home universe of the main character Charlie Jade. The Alphaverse's inhabitants are segregated into "classes" of different levels (e.g., C-1, or Class 1 — which stands for Upper ClassUpper classIn social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
). It is dominated by five gigantic multinational firms. Prime among these is a corporation called Vexcor. Despite the Alphaverse's dystopian society, it does contain some futuristic technologyTechnologyTechnology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
that is within the level of our capability. - The Betaverse, which corresponds to our present day actual reality.
- The Gammaverse, a rather idyllic version of our world, what it would be like if the planet's inhabitants made careful use of its resources.
- An 'unknown' universe, inhabited with primitive people living in huts.
- A universe that is home to 'men in grey suits'.
During the pilot episode, scientists from Vexcor attempt to open a wormhole
Wormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
from the Alphaverse to the Gammaverse in a bid to drain water from the latter to the former. In Gammaverse, terrorists Bern and Reena — aware of Vexcor's intent — prepare to sabotage the facility. Before the stable wormhole can be completed, a massive explosion at the site of the portal (a large open-air water reservoir) leads to a chain reaction explosion that moves through all three universes. This results in Charlie being thrown from Alphaverse into the Betaverse, into a different Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
that he is unfamiliar with. Reena is also thrown into the Betaverse.
The explosion renders the "link" between universes impassable, which leaves Vexcor employees in Beta and Gamma cut off from their head office in Alpha.
Vexcor attempts to rebuild the link, and re-establish contact. At the same time, they must deal with the P.R. fallout from the explosion, and must try to conceal the true purpose of the facility and what the company was up to. Suspicion initially falls on a Vexcor scientist named Elliot Krogg — but eventually, they discover Reena is in Cape Town, and target her as the terrorist behind the explosion.
Vexcor's attempts to cover their tracks are complicated by Charlie Jade's presence in Beta — and the fact that he soon hooks up with Karl Lubinsky, an expatriate American who runs a conspiracy website devoted to tracking all things Vexcor.
Together, Charlie and Karl gradually divine Vexcor's true intentions — and also uncover a terrible secret promoted by Vexcor's doomed scientist, Elliot Krogg. Krogg wrote a memo to Vexcor HQ detailing a possible catastrophic effect to establishing a long-term link from Alpha to Gamma. If the link is made permanent, it will collapse all matter in the Betaverse, destroying everyone and everything in 'our' world. Karl and Charlie are the only things that stand between our world and annihilation.
Meanwhile, with travel between the universes cut off, Vexcor Alpha must turn to a person who can travel between the universes without a link: 01 Boxer, the son of company founder Brion Boxer.
01 Boxer is made company courier by Essa Rompkin, CEO of Vexcor. He travels by an unknown method that involves dousing himself with water and "slipping" between universes. The method of travel is mysterious, but it results in changes to body chemistry. In later episodes, 01 Boxer's blood is used to transfuse and revitalize his father, who is sick from some genetic malady — perhaps as a result of too much travel between universes.
01 seems to manifest a different personality in each universe. In Alpha he acts like a spoiled child, in Beta he is a hedonistic adolescent, and in Gamma he is a loving husband and father to two children. 01's motivations are mysterious — he can seem like a villain, but he is definitely following his own agenda.
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Jeffrey Pierce Jeffrey Pierce Jeffrey Pierce is an American actor, film director and film producer. He is best known for portraying the titular character in the television series Charlie Jade. He got his start in acting at the Shakespeare and Company in Lennox, Massachusetts and at the Beverly Hills Playhouse... |
Charlie Jade |
| Patricia McKenzie Patricia McKenzie Patricia McKenzie , is a multi-lingual Canadian Actress, Dancer and Singer.She is best known for starring roles on TV:as Reena in Charlie Jade ,... |
Reena |
| Tyrone Benskin Tyrone Benskin Tyrone Benskin is a Canadian actor and politician. He was elected Member of Parliament in the Jeanne-Le Ber riding, in Montreal, Quebec, in the 2011 Canadian federal election.-Life and career:... |
Karl Lubinsky |
| Michael Filipowich | 01 Boxer |
| Michelle Burgers | Essa Rompkin |
| Marie-Julie Rivest | Jasmine/Paula |
| Danny Keogh | Julius Galt |
| Langley Kirkwood | Porter |
| David Dennis David Dennis (actor) David Dennis is a South African actor. He is best known for his role as Sol in the SABC1 TV series Soul City. Dennis also played a significant role in the TV series Charlie Jade as police detective Sew Sew Tukarrs.... |
Sew Sew Tukarrs |
| Rolanda Marais | Blues Paddock |
Creators
Chris Roland and Robert WertheimerRobert Wertheimer
Robert Wertheimer is an award-winning writer, producer, director and executive producer of film and television productions...
are the creators of Charlie Jade; the original series bible was written by Robert J. Sawyer
Robert J. Sawyer
Robert James Sawyer is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 20 novels published, and his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, On Spec, Nature, and many anthologies. Sawyer has won over forty awards for his fiction, including the Nebula Award ,...
and the pilot script was written by Stephen Zoller and Robert Wertheimer.
DVD releases
| DVD name | Release date (Region 1) | Release date (Region 2) | Ep # | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1, Part 1 | ? | December 10, 2007 | 10+1 | Trailer, Making of Episode 16A All 19 "previously on Charlie Jade" clips. |
| Series 1, Part 2 | ? | March 3, 2008 | 10 | No special Features included. |
| The Complete Series 1 | ? | March 3, 2008 | 20+1 | The Box simply includes the two other box sets but has its own cover art. |
Background
Though viewers may recognize a similarity to Blade RunnerBlade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
and the episode "Double Cross" of the series Sliders
Sliders
Sliders is an American science fiction television series. It was broadcast for five seasons, beginning in 1995 and ending in 2000. The series follows a group of travelers as they use a wormhole to "slide" between different parallel universes. The show was created by Robert K. Weiss and Tracy Tormé...
, especially in the scenes set in the Alphaverse, Wertheimer has said in interviews that much of the ethos
Ethos
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of...
of the series is primarily influenced by Derrick Jensen
Derrick Jensen
Derrick Jensen is an American author and environmental activist living in Crescent City, California. Jensen has published several books questioning and critiquing modern civilization and its values, including A Language Older Than Words, The Culture of Make Believe, and Endgame. He holds a B.S...
's book The Culture of Make Believe
The Culture of Make Believe
The Culture of Make Believe is a non-fiction book by Derrick Jensen, first published in 2002. In the book the author explores the origins of human destructiveness, primarily through the lens of racism, using historical psychological, sociological, anthropological, and personal anecdotes as tools...
.
Charlie Jade had two teams of writers. The pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
and first eight episodes were overseen by executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Guy Mullally, Stephen Zoller and David Cole. Mutual creative differences led to an amicable parting of the ways, paving the way for the second team, consisting of head writer Alex Epstein, and story editor
Story editor
Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called "supervising producer". A story editor is a member of the screenwriting staff who edits stories for screenplays....
s Denis McGrath and Sean Carley.
In addition to its Canadian writing staff, the show also featured the work of several South African television writers, including Dennis Venter and Collin Oliphant.
The majority of the directors who worked on the show were from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, including Pierre Gill
Pierre Gill
Pierre Gill is a Canadian cinematographer. He has won multiple awards for his work, including 2 Genie Awards, 1 Gémeaux Award and 1 Jutra Award. He has worked on such films as The Covenant, The Rocket, Polytechnique, Lost and Delirious, The Art of War, XChange and Eldorado.He has also directed the...
and Eric Canuel
Eric Canuel
Eric Canuel is a film director and actor from Quebec, Canada.Eric Canuel began his career in the mid-1980s making music videos for such artists as Paul Piché, Sass Jordan, Norman Iceberg, Vilain Pingouin and Sylvain Cossette...
. The pilot was directed by T.J. Scott. Other directors included George Mihalka, Jimmy Kaufman, Anton Beebe, and South Africans Neal Sundstrom, David Hickson and Daryl Roodt.
Each universe has a remarkably different look:
- The color palette of the Alphaverse is dominated by green
- Betaverse is very blue in tint
- Gammaverse is dominated by reds and warm earth tones
- The 'unknown universe' is mostly gray.
- The universe in which the Men in Grey Suits inhabit has white and yellow hues. Additionally, the Men in Grey Suits have a subtle yellow aura to them.
Charlie Jade was considered one of the hot tickets at the MIP show when it was shown there in 2004. However, the series has yet to be picked up in some major territories, though the first three episodes did premier at Cascadia Con on September 2, 2006 in SeaTac, WA. In these areas, the show seems to enjoy a somewhat "underground" appeal, and the entire series has been widely distributed over Internet file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
networks.
Charlie Jades challenging narrative, and somewhat controversial take on issues, such as the presentation of a sympathetic "terrorist" character, may have made the show unpalatable for a wide audience.
In June 2005, Canadian broadcaster CHUM
CHUM Limited
CHUM Limited was a media company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 1945 to 2007. Immediately prior to its acquisition, it held full or joint control of two Canadian television systems — Citytv and A-Channel — comprising 11 local stations, and one CBC Television affiliate, one...
took an unusual step. Admitting that the show required a great level of attention, CHUM commissioned a special catch-up episode, "Can of Worms". Despite the fact that principal photography had been wrapped nine months before, a small crew gathered in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to film a wraparound story designed to bring new viewers up to speed. "Can of Worms" runs between episodes 16 and 17 of Charlie Jade. Including this episode, there are 21 episodes in Charlie Jades first season.
Awards and nominations
On August 29, 2006, the show was nominated for 5 Canadian Gemini Awards — Patricia McKenzie and Michael Filipowich received Best Supporting Actress and Actor Nominations. The show was also nominated for Best Sound, Best Editing, and Best Visual Effects.At the 2006 Gemini Awards
2006 Gemini Awards
The 21st Gemini Awards were held on November 4, 2006 to honour achievements in Canadian television. The ceremony was conducted at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, British Columbia and broadcast on Global.-Best News/Information Series:...
in Toronto, Charlie Jade won the Gemini for Best Sound
External links
- Official website
- Charlie Jade Verse Podcast: Commentaries by either co-creator Robert Wertheimer, head writer Alex Epstein or writer Denis McGrath on all episodes
- Podcast interview with co-creator and executive producer Robert Wertheimer
- TVSA's Charlie Jade Mini-Site
- Official Description of the setting in the Charlie Jade universe