Tower Prep
Encyclopedia
Tower Prep is an American
-Canadian
television series that aired on Cartoon Network
. It debuted on October 16, 2010, after the world premiere of Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster
. The series is created by Paul Dini
, a former producer and writer of Batman: The Animated Series
and Superman: The Animated Series
. It is Cartoon Network's second one-hour live-action series after Unnatural History
.
The last two episodes of the first season aired on December 28, 2010. As of November 19th, 2011 Tower Prep has not yet been renewed for a second season, but more details will surface in December 2011.
wrote the first episode of Tower Prep, and Cartoon Network picked up the series as part of their initiative to develop live action programming for a family audience. The pilot was shot in 2009, and full production of the first season began in 2010 in British Columbia
.
Former X-Files
writer Glen Morgan
was hired as executive producer and showrunner, joined by a writing team including Dini, Glen's brother Darin Morgan
, Riley Stearns
, Aury Wallington
, Jeff Eckerle
and Marilyn Osborn
. Discussing his influences in creating the show, Dini states, "I thought about incidents when I was a kid. I went to a prep school, and I leaned back on my feelings of what it was like at the time – the strangeness and the alienation." From the start, the writers' goals were to create a story that did not talk down to kids, and to write natural dialogue, avoiding unrealistic slang and catch phrases. Many of the characters shift between being perceived as heroes or villains, because, Dini explains, "[throughout high school], your allegiances are switched and relationships change.... To a degree, Tower Prep is a real high school. It's just that the elements are blown out of proportion and into caricature."
The promotion for the series began with a fictional storyline, in which Cartoon Network
discovered vlog
s from the four main characters. Prior to the series premiere, a sneak peek of the show was released for free download on the iTunes Store
featuring half of the first episode. To promote the premiere, the network announced a giveaway of 1000 iPod Touch
devices that would take place during the show. The iPod Touch strongly resembled the PDA devices from the series.
The last two episodes of the first season aired on December 28, 2010. In an interview with the show creator Paul Dini, he did not give the status of a second season, but did claim that everyone involved in the show wanted another season and that presently, Cartoon Network is still in negotiations to make a second season happen. As Of October 2011, Cartoon network has removed Tower Prep on cartoonnetwork.com
said the show's mysteries might appeal to children ... and adults, calling it "a series that points the way toward a best-case scenario" for Cartoon Network's live-action programming. Robert Lloyd in his Los Angeles Times
review praised the show's energy, casting, and writing in spite of its modest production values. Both reviewers noted the series shares elements with The Prisoner
and other works such as Harry Potter, Lost and The X-Files. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
stated that while the pilot episode suffered from low production values and murky fight scenes, it benefited from a strong primary cast, Dini's use of superpowers, and potentially intriguing moments. Further, he specifically pointed to the involvement of creator Paul Dini and producers Glen Morgan
and Darin Morgan
as reasons he believed the show will grow into a compelling series. In the 2011 Leo Awards, Brenton Spencer was nominated for Best Direction in a Youth or Children’s Program or Series for the episode "Dreams".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-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...
television series that aired on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
. It debuted on October 16, 2010, after the world premiere of Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster
Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster
Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster is a live action/CGI television film by Warner Premiere for Cartoon Network based on the Saturday morning cartoon series Scooby-Doo by Hanna-Barbera. It is the fourth live-action Scooby-Doo film...
. The series is created by Paul Dini
Paul Dini
Paul Dini is an American writer and producer who works in the television and comic book industries. He is best known as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros./DC Comics animated series, including Star Wars: Ewoks, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated...
, a former producer and writer of Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
and Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series
Superman: The Animated Series is an American animated television series starring DC Comics' flagship character, Superman. The series was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on The WB from September 6, 1996 to February 12, 2000. Warner Bros...
. It is Cartoon Network's second one-hour live-action series after Unnatural History
Unnatural History (TV series)
Unnatural History is a television series produced by Warner Horizon Television for Cartoon Network.The series is the second scripted, live-action show on Cartoon Network after the short-lived Out of Jimmy's Head. The first season consisted of thirteen hour-long episodes and premiered on Sunday,...
.
The last two episodes of the first season aired on December 28, 2010. As of November 19th, 2011 Tower Prep has not yet been renewed for a second season, but more details will surface in December 2011.
Production
Paul DiniPaul Dini
Paul Dini is an American writer and producer who works in the television and comic book industries. He is best known as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros./DC Comics animated series, including Star Wars: Ewoks, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated...
wrote the first episode of Tower Prep, and Cartoon Network picked up the series as part of their initiative to develop live action programming for a family audience. The pilot was shot in 2009, and full production of the first season began in 2010 in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Former X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
writer Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan is an American television producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Morgan is best known for his screen work with long-time writing partner James Wong, including The X-Files, Millennium, Space: Above and Beyond, the Final Destination series, The One, Willard, and the 2006 remake of...
was hired as executive producer and showrunner, joined by a writing team including Dini, Glen's brother Darin Morgan
Darin Morgan
Darin Morgan is an American screenwriter best known for several offbeat, darkly humorous episodes of the television series The X-Files and Millennium. His teleplay for the X-Files episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" won a 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama...
, Riley Stearns
Riley Stearns
Riley Stearns is an American television writer and independent film director. He has worked on the television series My Own Worst Enemy, Bionic Woman and Tower Prep...
, Aury Wallington
Aury Wallington
Aury Wallington is an American novelist and TV writer. She has written extensively for TV, and her latest book is based upon science fiction series Heroes...
, Jeff Eckerle
Jeff Eckerle
Jeff Eckerle is an American television producer and writer. He is best known as a writer and supervising producer on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit....
and Marilyn Osborn
Marilyn Osborn
Marilyn Osborn is an American television producer and writer. She has written and produced for the series Space: Above and Beyond, The X-Files, Touched by an Angel, The Commish, Silk Stalkings and L.A. Doctors...
. Discussing his influences in creating the show, Dini states, "I thought about incidents when I was a kid. I went to a prep school, and I leaned back on my feelings of what it was like at the time – the strangeness and the alienation." From the start, the writers' goals were to create a story that did not talk down to kids, and to write natural dialogue, avoiding unrealistic slang and catch phrases. Many of the characters shift between being perceived as heroes or villains, because, Dini explains, "[throughout high school], your allegiances are switched and relationships change.... To a degree, Tower Prep is a real high school. It's just that the elements are blown out of proportion and into caricature."
The promotion for the series began with a fictional storyline, in which Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
discovered vlog
Vlog
Video blogging, sometimes shortened to vlogging or vidding or vidblogging is a form of blogging for which the medium is video, and is a form of Web television. Entries often combine embedded video or a video link with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one take...
s from the four main characters. Prior to the series premiere, a sneak peek of the show was released for free download on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
featuring half of the first episode. To promote the premiere, the network announced a giveaway of 1000 iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
devices that would take place during the show. The iPod Touch strongly resembled the PDA devices from the series.
The last two episodes of the first season aired on December 28, 2010. In an interview with the show creator Paul Dini, he did not give the status of a second season, but did claim that everyone involved in the show wanted another season and that presently, Cartoon Network is still in negotiations to make a second season happen. As Of October 2011, Cartoon network has removed Tower Prep on cartoonnetwork.com
Premise
Tower Prep is an exclusive school for people with special abilities. None of the students know where they are or how they arrived there, and there's no escape. One moment Ian Archer was at home playing a video game; the next, he found himself waking up at Tower Prep with no memory of how he got there. Panicking, he tries to escape, and in the course of his failed attempt he meets three other students: Gabe, Suki and CJ. Throughout the series, the four friends make it their mission to uncover the mysteries behind Tower Prep and find a way to return to their normal lives.Characters
Main characters
- Ian Archer (Drew Van AckerDrew Van AckerDrew Van Acker is American actor. He starred as Ian Archer in the Cartoon Network live-action series Tower Prep and currently co-stars on Pretty Little Liars as Jason DiLaurentis.-Career:...
) - Ian has the ability of Preflex, seeing things before they happen and react. He's a rebel who wants to discover the secrets of Tower Prep and is trying to escape from the strange school. His ability allows him to be exceptional in martial artsMartial artsMartial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and physical fights. He uses his skills to defend the students who can't protect themselves from other students. He may be related to the founder of Tower Prep. Conner calls Ian "his liege" in the episode "Dreams", which implies that his family has something to do with Tower Prep and Cornelius Tower. In the episode "Phone Home" Ian and CJ have their first kiss.
- Gabriel "Gabe" Lexington Forrest (Ryan PinkstonRyan PinkstonRyan James Pinkston is an American actor and model.-Life and career:Pinkston was born in Silver Spring, Maryland of Greek descent. Before he became an actor, he was involved in karate competitions, having been inspired by watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers...
) - Gabe has the ability of Hypersuasion, allowing him to talk almost anyone into doing anything. His Hypersuasion skill seems to be less effective the longer he stays at Tower Prep. He's the class clown, the guy that shoots sarcastic comments and the funny self-deprecating attitude when someone tries to pick on him. He is the school class president. He also has a crush on Suki.
- Candace "CJ" Ward (Elise GatienElise GatienElise Gatien is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Candance "CJ" Ward in the Cartoon Network live-action series Tower Prep.-Career:...
) - CJ has the ability to read people's body language, called Perception. CJ claims to have no memory of her life before Tower Prep. To everyone at Tower Prep, CJ is a textbook example of someone who follows "The Program." She is the perfect student, one of the more popular girls in school and well liked by everyone; that is exactly what she wants everyone to think as she secretly plots to escape from the school. CJ is a master at playing both sides and hiding her true intentions. In the episode "Whisper", she finds out that her abilities have increased allowing her to understand people from their handwriting. It is revealed in the episode "The Rooks" that she has a crush on Ian. In the episode "Phone Home", CJ and Ian kiss. She tells him that she doesn't want him to die if he's never kissed a girl. In the episode "Snitch", it is revealed that she is Headmaster's daughter and that he forced her to tell him everything she knew. In the episode "Fathers", her name is revealed to be Candace. Even though she is exposed as the snitch, she still cares very deeply about her friends and dreads losing them. After Ian knocks out the Headmaster she still asks to go escape with them. She hasn't talked to her mother in a long time, so she agrees to do whatever her father commands on the condition that she gets to talk to her mother again.
- Suki Sato (Dyana LiuDyana LiuDyana Liu is an American actress. She is known for co-starring in the Cartoon Network live-action series Tower Prep.-Career:...
) - Suki, from Tokyo, has the ability to imitate anything as long as she has heard the voice/sound at least once. She can replicate handwriting with 100% accuracy and also be able to mimic animal noises as seen in the episode "Field Trip" where she impresses Ray Snider by mimicking a lion's roar. Her power is known as Mimicry. She's a quiet, introspective girl whose bubbly personality shines through. She is "as quiet as a mouse" but also considered a "hottie" (by Ray Snider). Her father owns Sato Systems (formally known as SatoScientific), a well known electronics company that is the main technology provider for the school. They make everything electronic, including the security cameras and communication devices, as well Whisper 120, Whisper 119 and Whisper 023, the school's supercomputer. She has an older brother, Shinji, whom she once believed was dead, who also went to Tower Prep. She kisses Gabe in episode "Phone Home" after he tells her that he's never kissed a girl, although in the episode "Dreams" in her dream she kisses Ian which shows that she might have feelings for him also. In the episode "Fathers", Suki's father tries to take her away from Tower Prep because she "isn't for Tower Prep and Tower Prep isn't for her". Her father almost succeeds, until Ian defeats him and his bodyguards.
Tower Prep staff
The teachers of the school do not use their actual names. They are instead called by the subjects they teach. For example, if a teacher teaches math, they are simply called Math. The headmaster of the school is simply called Headmaster. If a teacher has two subjects, they are called by both. For example, if a teacher has both history and physical education, they are called Coach History.- Headmaster (Ted Whittall) - Headmaster insists that Tower Prep's purpose is solely to refine the exceptional students' abilities for the better, but there are hints that suggest he has other plans. He is possibly the actual leader of the Rooks, as Coach called him "Most Exalted One" in one of their talks. In the episode "Trust" it is revealed that he reports to a higher administrative board. In the episode "Snitch", it is revealed that he is CJ's father and that he is trying to make Tower Prep like it was when Cornelius ran the school. He is secretly working against the head administration. Only 7 people know: Suki, Ian, CJ, Gabe, Cornelius Tower, Headmaster (himself) and one more person.
- Coach (Dan PayneDan PayneDan Payne is a Canadian actor best known for playing the role of John in the television series Alice, I Think.Among his numerous television appearances was in an advertisement for Speakeasy from Esat Digifone, an Irish mobile phone operator now owned by O2.He also played the part of the Kull...
) - Coach is a former student of Tower Prep and a test subject for Corvus H-40, a chemical substance used as a "performance enhancer", although it is implied that the Corvus H-40 has significant side effects. Both he and Headmaster are Rooks members, even though Headmaster actively speaks out against them. Coach wears a watch with the Rooks emblem. It is possible that Coach no longer has an ability due to Corvus H-40 abuse. It is also revealed in the episode "Snitch" that when Coach was a student at Tower Prep he was incarcerated in the West Campus and describes it as the greatest thing you fear. but not just a normal fear like being humiliated or embarrassed, but a true, deep fear.
- Coach History (Richard SteinmetzRichard SteinmetzRichard Steinmetz is an American actor.In May 2004, Steinmetz joined the cast of Passions as Martin Fitzgerald, the long-missing patriarch of the Lopez-Fitzgerald family....
) - He is the red buffer coach and the school's history teacher. He once told Ian that if he beat the gold team (regular coach's team) the coach would reveal all he knew of the school's history. In the process, it was discovered that the Gnomes are Tower Prep students.
- Nurse (Karin KonovalKarin KonovalKarin Konoval is a professional American film and television actress. She has been in several major films, and has appeared as major roles and guest stars for many television shows, including The X-Files episode Home and Tin Man. She recently appeared in an episode on season 4 of Supernatural...
) - She was a suspect in the Chemica Desin epidemic. Ian discovered that the true suspect was Ross Anderson, who stole the Chemica Desin during her work study in the clinic and modified it. When Ross Anderson was at the Headmaster's Office, she didn't punish her, but instead asked how she modified the Chemica Desin. Connor later finds the Chemica Desin 2.0 which hints that they made more of the modified version that Ross created.
- Dr. Specs (Alek DiakunAlek DiakunAlek Diakun is a Canadian actor.Diakun was born in Rycroft, Alberta. He began his schooling in Chilliwack, B.C. and finished with a BFA from the University of Alberta. Diakun has been acting for over three decades. He has appeared in over 200 stage plays, and many television guest appearances...
) - He works in the medical lab hidden in the underground tunnels. There, he prepares new students by erasing their short-term memory with electronic static, then transports them to the campus using the underground tunnels. He may be the doctor seen in the old surveillance video footage strapping a student to a chair while Cornelius Tower tries to stop him. He is seen giving Conner Owens and later Gabe a mind-wipe at West Campus using "In my Dreams Tonight" by Cookie Tower and the Hypnotic Five.
Secondary characters
- Whisper 119 (voiced by Peggy Jo Jacobs) - It is the artificial intelligence that manages the school and serves as a "recruitment officer" by contacting children who have exceptional abilities. She is shown to have emotions in episode the "Whisper"; Ian realizes she sent him the "handwritten" note saying "I'm scared, too", which CJ analyzes as "caring, artistic, and motherly." Whisper indirectly helps Ian, Gabe, Suki, and CJ out of some tight situations. In the episode "Phone Home", Whisper 119 was upgraded to Whisper 120 but as one last act against the school she opens the door to the roof of one of the school's abandoned buildings for Gabe, Suki, C.J and Ian right before she "dies" and gets upgraded. After Conner's return it is revealed that she was upgraded because she was developing a conscience that allowed students to temporarily exit the school through the holographic/hallucinogenic wall.
- Ray Snider (Richard Harmon) - Ray is a student at Tower Prep who was one of Ian's initial roommates. He clashes with Ian after Ian moves out of their room. He considers Suki a "hottie", but he also cares deeply for Suki. In the episode "The Rooks" he is a member of the elite fraternity. His ability is Hyper-strength. Along with Emily and Fenton, Ray seems to suspect Ian, CJ, Suki, and Gabe's plan to escape after they discover maps of the school grounds in episode "Field Trip".
- Calvin "Cal" Rice (Izaak Smith) - Cal is Ian's main antagonist. He is the captain of the gold Buffer team and is the so-called head jock of the school. He constantly pushes Ian around and seems threatened by him. His ability is enhanced hearing. In the episode "Field Trip" he is supposedly captured and believed to be turned into a gnome but was actually his own choice. He comes back in episode "Trust" stating he has no recollection of what happened after he was caught by the gnomes. He clearly has feelings for CJ.
- Conner Owens (Andrew Dunbar) - Is part of a group trying to revert Tower Prep back to it original purpose. He can move through the holographic wall, with the help of Whisper 119, with things Ian and his friends need. When the system was upgraded to Whisper 120 they found a weak spot in West Campus. Conner goes down in the tunnels and is taken to West Campus by the gnomes. Conner gave Ian and Gabe Chemica Desin 2.0 and said that it was the end of everything.
- Cornelius Augustus Tower (David Smith, Matthew Thiessen) - As a former magician and jazz artist, Cornelius Tower is the founder of Tower Prep and loved his students. The school was later taken over and he was betrayed. In an audio story of his life, he is cut off while saying 'they're turning my students into-'. He has an office in the back of a laboratory. He is missing an eye which he left in a glass paperweight. Ian may be related or close to him, since a picture is found of them together in a garden. In the episode "Fathers", it is revealed that he is still alive, working with Headmaster.
- Shinji Sato (Terry ChenTerry ChenTerry Chen is a Canadian movie and television actor.Chen was born to ethnic Chinese parents originating from Taiwan and mainland China in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. After an education at schools in his hometown and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, he attended college in Calgary and...
) - Suki Sato's older brother who she was told had been killed. In the episode "Phone Home", it was revealed that he was instead a student at Tower Prep. He knows about the observation center and also how to get into west campus. He came back to take Suki back to Tokyo and their family.
Minor characters
- Don Finch (Calum Worthy) - One of Ian's initial roommates and is Ray Snider's best friend. He doesn't show up in the series after Ian moves out.
- Fenton Capwell (Charlie Carrick) - Fenton is a student who loves opera. In the episode "Monitored", he takes Ian's place as Ray's and Don's roommate, and in the episode "Election", he falls ill when running against Emily Wright in the presidential election. In the episode "Field Trip", he is assigned CJ as his partner. His ability is unknown, but it may be associated with his voice. In the episode "Snitch" it is seen that he hangs out with Ray Snider, and they both suspect that Ian, CJ, Suki and Gabe are trying to escape.
- Emily Wright (Jodi Balfour) - Emily is the former class president of Tower Prep who lost her re-election bid to Gabe. She first appears in the episode "Election", where she meets Ian while trying to find the cause behind the illness of her original opponent, Fenton. She is assigned to work with Gabe on the class field trip. Emily is now the class vice president under Gabe. She tells Ian that she intends to join "The Broken", a resistance group against Tower Prep. After The Broken disappears, Emily is missing as well, hinting that she joined the group.
- Emerson Poencet (Jeffrey Ballard) - Emerson is a student who first appears in the episode "Whisper". His has microscopic vision, which he uses to determine that the secret notes Ian gets are computer printouts, see Ian's individual blood cells, and accurately identify six different sets of fingerprints with a mere glance on a campaign button.
- Howard Gilmore (Jarod Joseph) - Howard can see in the dark. He used his ability to steal things, including Gabe's sock monkey Señor Guapo, and frame Ian for the thefts. He is sent to the West Campus. In their search for the real thief, Ian, Gabe, Suki, and CJ find Howard's hideout in the underground labs.
- Ross Anderson (Kacey Rohl) - Ross is Emily's ruthless campaign manager. At the end of the episode "Election", it is discovered that she spread the Chemica Desin enzyme inhibitor to those who threatened Emily's re-election. She is presumed to be sent to West Campus, but in reality, Headmaster and Nurse are actually very impressed with her achievement.
- The Broken - A group that was led by Phillips, who dresses like Redfang. The Broken members think he may actually be Redfang. Emily told Ian about "The Broken" and he wanted to join. When Ian went to meet "The Broken" they suggested that he lead them for their plan to escape, but when Ian, Gabe,CJ, and Suki went to The Broken's hideout they were gone and only a gnome was left behind. Headmaster later tells the administration "The Broken was mended, but Archer is still broken, not for long though."
- Whisper 120 (voiced by Peggy Jo Jacobs) - Whisper 120 is the upgraded Whisper by Sato Systems and was introduced in the episode "Phone Home". She is not sentimental like Whisper 119, so she cannot go against her programming. She meets Ian, Gabe, Suki, and CJ in the forest after their escape in the season finale, informing them that they have "passed the test", have a "higher purpose", and must work for Headmaster to help win the "war to come".
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
|---|
Critical reception
The premiere episode of Tower Prep received positive reviews. Brian Lowry of VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said the show's mysteries might appeal to children ... and adults, calling it "a series that points the way toward a best-case scenario" for Cartoon Network's live-action programming. Robert Lloyd in his Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
review praised the show's energy, casting, and writing in spite of its modest production values. Both reviewers noted the series shares elements with The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
and other works such as Harry Potter, Lost and The X-Files. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
stated that while the pilot episode suffered from low production values and murky fight scenes, it benefited from a strong primary cast, Dini's use of superpowers, and potentially intriguing moments. Further, he specifically pointed to the involvement of creator Paul Dini and producers Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan
Glen Morgan is an American television producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Morgan is best known for his screen work with long-time writing partner James Wong, including The X-Files, Millennium, Space: Above and Beyond, the Final Destination series, The One, Willard, and the 2006 remake of...
and Darin Morgan
Darin Morgan
Darin Morgan is an American screenwriter best known for several offbeat, darkly humorous episodes of the television series The X-Files and Millennium. His teleplay for the X-Files episode "Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose" won a 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama...
as reasons he believed the show will grow into a compelling series. In the 2011 Leo Awards, Brenton Spencer was nominated for Best Direction in a Youth or Children’s Program or Series for the episode "Dreams".