Alcatraz
A mysterious island, cryptic clues, and Jorge Garcia. No, this is not Lost, it’s a new version of cops-and-robbers. Fox gambles on the magical name of JJ Abrams once again with this police drama with a time-travel twist. The premise of this series is that over 300 prisoners and guards disappeared from Alcatraz prison in 1963, and are now returning one by one, unchanged after fifty-odd years in limbo. Detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and her comic book/criminologist sidekick Dr. Soto (Jorge Garcia) try to round them up, with the help of elusive G-man Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill). It’s off to a slow start, but I’m optimistic.
SEASON ONE
Pilot – This pilot was really two episodes aired back-to-back. In the first, we meet Detective Madsen, Dr. Soto, and Emerson Hauser. We also meet Jack Sylvane, who wakes up in solitary — in 2012, fifty years after he was supposed to have died. Where has he been all this time? No time for answers, as Madsen and crew follow his trail of murder and mayhem across the city. In the second episode, they go after returned sniper Ernest Cobb, and we learn an astonishing secret about one member of the team. Airdate 16 January 2012.