Genre: Sci-Fi | Drama | Action

Premiere: July 11th, 2011 at 10/9c

Network: Syfy

Creators: Zak Penn and Michael Karnow

Director: Jack Bender

Writers: Zak Penn and Michael Karnow

Alphas stars David Strathairn (Temple Grandin, Good Night, and Good Luck), Malik Yoba (New York Undercover, Why Did I Get Married?), Warren Christie (October Road), Azita Ghanizada (Castle), Ryan Cartwright (Mad Men, Bones) and Laura Mennell (Watchmen).

Summary:

The Alphas team is a clandestine group of average people with amazing abilities operating within the U.S. Department of Defense. Led by Dr. Lee Rosen, a preeminent neurologist, psychiatrist and Alpha phenomena expert, the team investigates cases that point to others with Alpha abilities. As they work against the clock to solve this new brand of crime, they must prevent their own personality differences and disparate backgrounds from interfering with their ultimate mission.

I REALLY LIKED THIS. It is just what was needed for the 10:00 hour after Eureka and Warehouse 13. They couldn’t go BSG-dark, it wouldn’t fit with the other programming, but something with just a little bite to cut the general niceness of the first two. Sure, people are sometimes killed in those first two, but there is invariably some little bit of silliness somewhere in each of them. There is no silliness in Alphas.

As I mentioned in last week’s interview post, the Alphas don’t have superpowers per se; they each have a natural access to parts of their brains that allow them what would seem to be superhuman skills. It is something they came by naturally; there are none of those “created” superpowers like with some on Heroes, at least not so far. Obviously it’s early days, but I’m really hoping they don’t go that route, it’s become too predictable.

This is a nice setup episode, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here. We meet the cast and learn a bit about their abilities, one of which has a very cool special effect that goes with it, and the downside of these abilities. We also get an idea of what will likely be the season arc, if not the series arc, in the form of… well, you’ll see. I really like that each of these characters seem like very real people with recognizable issues, which takes a bit of the fantastical out of the feel, but that works here.

I am definitely up for another episode. Azita Ghanizada said in the interview last week that every episode just keeps getting better, and while that’s kinda what you’d expect her to say, I admit that’s what I’m hoping for.

I give Alphas Episode 101 “Pilot” Four out of Five Stars.