Space's PRIMEVAL: THE NEW WORLD review

written by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens / directed by Martin Wood

Not too long into the original UK run of Primeval I started to wonder if the concept would be better handled on American network television. The idea of space-time "anomalies" spewing prehistoric/futuristic monsters into the present day, with a team of scientists dealing with the incursions, just felt more attuned to an American sensibility. Primeval has had its moments over a chaotic five series run (where it lost key actors, was briefly axed, and is now stuck in creative limbo), but I've always thought the Americans could do it much better. And maybe they can; but for now the Canadians have made a spin-off, entitled Primeval: New World, and it's bloody awful.

TRAILER: PRIMEVAL - NEW WORLD

A new trailer for Primeval: New World has been released, ahead of its premiere on Canada's Space channel and the UK's Watch later this year. It looks... surprisingly in-keeping with the British original, which feels like a disappointment. I've always thought a North American sensibility would do better with the concept of time portals spewing dinosaurs/monsters into the present-day, but this spin-off doesn't look or feel very different. If the rumours of the UK Primeval's demise are true (it has yet to be granted a sixth series by ITV), then maybe New World will be a more direct replacement than we'd have imagined a few years ago. What are your thoughts on this trailer?

PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD developments

Niall Matter, Sara Canning, Miranda Frigon & Geoff Gustafson

Only yesterday we heard that the future of ITV's Primeval is in doubt after five series in the UK, but the long-awaited Canadian spin-off Primeval: New World is looming as a possible replacement. This adaptation of the UK time-travel/monster-hunting drama is currently filming in Vancouver, British Columbia, and GateWorld have revealed a few details about the cast and crew...

Niall Matter (Eureka) has been cast as the lead, alongside Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Miranda Frigon (Sanctuary), Geoff Gustafson (Supernatural), and Danny Rahim (Young James Herriot). Original Primeval star Andrew Lee Potts has already been tapped to reprise his role as Connor Temple, for a first season crossover. Stargate SG1 producer-director Andy Mikita and actress Amanda Tapping are also confirmed to be directing episodes.

Considering the number of Stargate alums involved with this, I think we can assume New World's tone and visual style will approximate that venerable Syfy franchise. That feels like a good fit. It'll be interesting to see how the VFX company Atmosphere handle the dinosaurs on a Canadian cable budget, too.

What are your thoughts on this Canadian project? Will it effortlessly eclipse the UK version? Is it a good or bad thing that the cast are clearly a sexier group of people? (No offence Hannah Spearritt.) Would you like to see more crossovers with the UK show's stars, particularly if ITV axe Primeval here?

PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD will premiere on Canada's SPACE channel later this year. Here in the UK, digital channel Watch have already bought the UK rights.

SKINS axed; PRIMEVAL close to extinction?

It's been revealed that the current sixth series of E4's Skins will be the show's last, although the producers are planning three two-hour specials to air in 2013. It's strongly believed that these "farewell episodes" will feature some of the show's previous cast members; including Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel and Kaya Scodelario.

In other news, ITV have revealed that they currently have no plans to renew Primeval for a sixth series. They previously cancelled the monster-hunting sci-fi drama after series 3, brought it back under a co-financing deal with UKTV, BBC America and ProSieben, and then filmed two series back-to-back. ITV haven't actually shown series 5 themselves yet, which had its UK premiere on Watch last summer. Perhaps the terrestrial ratings for series 5 will determine its fate, although it can't help that most Primeval fans won't be watching because they've had a whole year to catch the episodes elsewhere.

Are you sad to see Skins go? Should Primeval join the debauched teenagers in TV heaven, or does it deserve another series? Will the Skins specials be something you'd watch, even if you gave up on the actual series?

Dan's 10 Disappointing TV Shows of 2011

Let's get one thing straight: this isn't a list of the Top 10 Worst TV Shows of 2011, although many of the following programmes would definitely appear on one. I just think it's too easy to throw together 10 terrible television shows, but the truth is I don't tend to watch the really awful stuff for longer than a few episodes.

Instead, my list is about the TV shows that were just about good enough to keep you watching, or you felt obliged to stick with out of loyalty to the brand, genre, or talent involved.... but were nevertheless very disappointing. Fact is, I watched all the episodes of everything on this list, so on some level you could say they were a success, but that's not to say I enjoyed most of what I saw.

I hope that explains my thinking behind some of the picks you don't agree with here, or are perhaps surprised by. The same overall rules apply as before, especially regarding how shows that premiered in 2010 can be counted if they broadcast 50% of their episodes in 2011.

And now, here are my most Disappointing TV Shows of this year...

10. American Horror Story

(Season 1) I grew to strangely enjoy this show, as you "enjoy" picking at a thick scab. From the creative minds of Ryan Murphy and Bryan Falchuk (Nip/Tuck, Glee), this was a "haunted house" movie stretched to 12 episodes, about the dysfunctional Harmon family moving into a Los Angeles home full of frightening ghosts from the building's notorious past. It contained some neat ideas (like how some ghosts are so corporeal they interact with the living as "real people"), and Jessica Lange's performance was brilliant as bonkers neighbour Constance. But the problem with AHS is that it had no sense of self-discipline, the story felt half-improved, some of the actors didn't have the right approach to the material (especially Connie Britton), and a great deal of its better ideas were stolen from movies. (The show even used music from Psycho and Bram Stoker's Dracula!) Okay, it was by design and thus intended to be a loving confection of tropes, but for me it came across as desperate. (random reviews) FX / FX UK

9. The Killing

(Season 1) There are far worse shows around, but The Killing is on this list because of how disappointing it became. What's extraordinary is that it had the best pilot of 2011, by some margin, and I was engrossed for the first five weeks. Based on the Danish original (which is required viewing for Guardian readers here in the UK), all American showrunner Veena Sud had to do was Americanise where appropriate and condense the 20-episode foreign season into half that time Instead, she flushed away many people's goodwill by revealing a "twist" that meant half the season had been a colossal waste of our time, and then gave us a finale that didn't bother answering the "Who Killed Rosie Larsen?" question. That would have been defensible, had we not been led to believe there would be an answer this year, as most people only kept watching past episode 7 for an answer that never came. A crying shame, because the production on The Killing was exemplary, with a brilliant atmosphere (perpetual rain, overcast skies) and thrumming soundtrack. But they should have kept their eyes on the story and were wrong to mislead the audience to this extent. (review archive) AMC / CHANNEL 4

8. Chuck

(Season 4) The little show that would have been cancelled halfway through season 2, at any other time in NBC's history. It's managed to scratch out five seasons, but the fourth is where it started to lose much of its curious appeal. This is primarily because its story arcs didn't work for me, especially the annoying "search for Chuck's long-lost mom" storyline that soaked up so much time. As "Mama Bartowski", Linda Hamilton (Terminator 2) reminded us why her career tanked in the mid-'90s, bringing zero humour and scant charisma to an underwritten role. She was simply there because of her association with a geeky franchise, allowing the writers to do some cute Terminator in-jokes. Ex-007 Timothy Dalton fared better as a scene-chewing Russian super-villain, but even he outstayed his welcome. A poor year of a show that probably deserved the axe this summer, although the current fifth season has been much better... (review archive) NBC / SKY LIVING

7. Glee

(Season 2) If we're honest, Glee started to lose itself as early as mid-season 1 after its winter hiatus, but season 2 is where I lost patience. Overstuffed with (mostly weak) pop songs, it became clear the three writer-producers had little idea what to do with their talented cast. Beyond the storyline with Kurt and his move to the Dalton Academy, it was a case of random romantic match-ups (which were on/off more times than a light switch) and far too many celebrity guest stars. Gwyneth Paltrow had a brilliant first appearance (singing Cee Lo Green's "Forget You"), but bringing her back twice didn't work. The season also gave us too many "themed episodes", from Britney Spears to Rocky Horror. What was once a joyful show that made you giggle and hum along to cheery music became a one-trick pony you wanted to see put down. The most annoying thing is that I'm still watching Glee today, halfway through the even worse third season. I really have no excuse, beyond masochism and an unhealthy fascination with dancer Heather Morris. (random reviews FOX / E4

6. Episodes

(Season 1) A satire on TV production, specifically when hit British comedies get remade into terrible US remakes, Episodes was a leaden and unfunny misfire on most levels. There were performances from Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig (as a British screenwriting couple trying to keep their principles in the face of adversity), with a fairly amusing turn from Friends' Matt Le Blanc playing "himself", but it simply wasn't enjoyable to watch all the way through. It limped along after a poor start, with perhaps two episodes that actually rose to an acceptable quality level, which isn't enough. Given the talent involved and subject-matter that felt like it could have something to say about Anglo-American cultural differences, Episodes was one of this year's bigger disappointments to me. A comedy that had its handful of targets in mind, and bludgeoned them over and over, week after week... (review archive) BBC2 / SHOWTIME

5. Dexter

(Season 6) It's a huge shame to see Dexter appear on this ignoble list, as a few short years ago it was a regular in my Best Shows list, but season 6 was the year when the wheels finally came off Showtime's top-rated series. There have been warning signs for awhile now, notably during the ragged fifth season, but this year was a particularly bad run. Despite the potential of delving into a religious theme, the writers lost sight of what made the show so great in its heyday, and countless mistakes amassed throughout its run. The greatest sin being a twist tardily revealed weeks after most fans had guessed it, and a peculiar decision to have Deb suddenly find her adopted brother sexually attractive. Throw in the show's continuing problems in giving its extended cast anything worthwhile to do (just kill a few already!), and the misjudged casting of Colin Hanks as the season's villain (who's no Jimmy Smits, let alone a John Lithgow), and Dexter simply ran aground under a weight of shit. The only hope is knowing the show now has an end-date of 2013, so the writers can work towards a definite conclusion. Trouble is, can its current writing staff pull something off that fans will enjoy? (review archive) SHOWTIME

4. Primeval

(Series 4 & 5) This year we had a double-dose of Primeval, because digital partner Watch showed series 5 months after ITV finished series 4, as they were filmed back-to-back. It was an unexpected return of a show ITV axed because of costs, with two new regular characters along for the ride, but this was a very inauspicious year. Primeval has rarely been good, but it can be fun if you accept its flaws and formulas. I just don't think it has anything left to offer anyone, because the new characters were a washout (especially tedious Irish "action man" Matt), and the fifth series in particular was a big waste of time until a half-decent finale. It's a show that has moments to enjoy, but it's reached a point where I'm struggling to stay interested on a character or storytelling level—or even in a superficial "ooh, dinosaurs" way, to be frank. (review archive) ITV1 / WATCH / BBC AMERICA

3. Outcasts

It had a familiar yet appealing premise, an ambitious production filming in South Africa, with some good actors involved, but Outcasts failed to live up to expectations. SF nerds took great delight in tearing the show's setup apart, and none of the characters left any impression (apart from the excellent Liam Cunningham). It didn't help that Jamie Bamber's character was killed off in the first episode, or that so much of the story and twists felt analogous to things we've seen done better in Lost, Battlestar Galactica and Solaris recently. I have an appetite for intelligent SF mysteries with a measured pace and emphasis on character, but Outcasts just wasn't any fun and almost crawled through its hours. However, it did inspire this blog's busiest article in many years! (review archive) BBC1 / BBC AMERICA

2. Life's Too Short

(Series 1) The sitcom that appears to prove The Office's Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are creatively bankrupt, Life's Too Short distilled everything they've done before (a mockumentary format poking fun at a disabled character, with meta-jokes and celebrity cameos) but did nothing new or interesting with those ingredients. For half the seven episodes, it didn't even feel like a Warwick Davis-starring sitcom, as so much was an excuse to shoehorn in Gervais, Merchant and a guest-star-of-the-week. Things improved slightly for the last three episodes, once the storyline with Warwick's divorce became a bigger focus, but my goodwill was exhausted by then. It just wasn't insightful or clever, as everything here had been done better in Extras, and poor Warwick was forced to play himself-doing-a-David-Brent impersonation. A sore disappointment from two writers who used to demand only the best, but are now happy to devise stupid shows for their friends (see also Karl Pilkington's An Idiot Abroad). (review archive) BBC2

1. Torchwood: Miracle Day

While there were concerns about "Americanizing" Torchwood when Russell T. Davies announced those plans, I don't think any fan anticipated the debacle that Miracle Day became. It still had its creator at the helm, who managed to recruit a writing staff of people who'd worked on some impressive shows (Buffy, House, Battlestar Galactica, X Files, Breaking Bad), and it wisely refused to tone down the sex/violence. In fact, quite a few people believed this could be the making of Torchwood because it had more money to play with, had a very ambitious high-concept story (everyone on the planet suddenly stops dying for an unexplained reason), and was reprising its very successful Children Of Earth miniseries format.

Unfortunately, Miracle Day fell flat on its face after a decent start. Once the novelty of its idea had worn off by episode 4, it became clear just how irritating the new American characters were (especially belligerent dickhead Rex Matheson), they made the godawful mistake of trying to make audiences sympathise with a child-killing paedophile (then had no idea what to do with Bill Pullman's slimy character halfway through), dandy hero Jack Harkness had nothing to do until two-thirds into the story, Gwen Cooper was as irksomely forthright as ever, there were no aliens, and the ultimate explanation for the titular "miracle" was extremely silly and vaguely explained. I can't think of any other show that so spectacularly flopped after such a previous high (although Children Of Earth is somewhat overrated). It even made committed fans fall out of love with the show! I don't think anyone would care if Torchwood never came back now, as Miracle Day appeared to kill a promising franchise. How ironic. (review archive) STARZ/ BBC1

Canadian PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD confirmed

It's been in development for over a year now, but Canadian network Space has finally ordered an "older, darker and scarier" Primeval spin-off from Impossible Pictures and Omni Film Productions, to star a "younger, sexier" cast.

I was originally reported that Star Trek Enterprise scribes Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens would be writing scripts for this spin-off, but their involvement is not yet confirmed. It's also likely the Canadian show will feature guest appearances from UK cast members, similar to how the Stargate franchise often has actors from the various spin-offs appearing in each other's shows.

Primeval: New World will start filming later this year in Vancouver, with an order of 13 episodes costing $2.5m (£1.6m) each.

Jonathan Drake, Impossible Pictures' Managing Director:

"This will be a bigger, better, badder re-imagining of the show, rather than a continuation. We are really looking forward to working with Omni to help make a series that can exceed even the huge success of the original Primeval in international markets and with viewers across the world."

What's your feeling about this spin-off? It sounds like Space want something less family-friendly and tougher than the British version. Will New World be the Stargate Universe of the Primeval canon? Is that necessarily a bad thing? With the increase in budget and the chameleonic Vancouver as a base of operations, this actually stands a very real chance of surpassing the UK version, if you ask me.

There's currently no release date for Primeval: New World, but I expect it'll be on-air by autumn/winter 2012.

The original show has yet to be renewed for a sixth series; a decision that probably won't be made until the fifth series airs on ITV1 in the new year (having premiered on digital channel Watch over the summer). Given a drop in ratings for series 4, a lot rests on series 5 being a bigger hit for ITV and BBC America.

PRIMEVAL, 5.6: tomorrow's world

This was easily the best episode of series 5 and possibly Primeval's most satisfying finale yet, despite the story feeling stretched to twice its natural length. Steve Bailie and co-creator Adrian Hodges are two of the show's best writers, and you can usually expect an increase in quality for the episodes they're behind. This was certainly the case here, as the finale delivered the action and jeopardy you demand of a monster-hunt show like Primeval, but also reduced the idiocy, delivered a few scenes of real emotion, and restored something the show lost this series: camaraderie between the characters.

Connor (Andrew Lee Potts) was last seen vanishing into Philip's (Alexander Siddig) super-anomaly, appearing in a barren future-Earth contaminated with a thin, noxious atmosphere, pummeled by erratic storms, and crawling with mutated Future Predators. Matt (Ciaran McMenemin) opted to go through the anomaly to rescue Connor, later joined by a gun-toting Abby (Hannah Spearritt), giving them both first-hand experience of his home: the dystopia Philip's "New Dawn" project is destined to cause. Back in the present, egomaniac Philip began to lose control of his man-made anomaly as it started to grow exponentially, eventually causing a bizarre atmospheric change in the skies above his facility, and a vicious Future Predator appeared in ARC for Lester (Ben Miller) and Jess (Ruth Kearney) to contend with.

There was a great deal to enjoy here, surprisingly, forgiving the fact Primeval lacks the budget to do a few ideas full justice—like the trip to the future. More importantly, I was surprised to see a genuinely good performance from Spearritt (her tearful reunion with Connor in an underground bunker was possibly the actress's best moment on this show), and even the terribly dry relationship between Emily (Ruth Bradley) and Matt was given some spice when Matt decided to sacrifice himself by altering history and potentially erasing his own timeline. The show works better, dramatically, when it’s less about wandering around trying to capture CGI monsters (that the actors can't see) and more about the characters facing things that test themselves. Siddig also looked more comfortable somehow, finally given a script that gave him something to play—as Philip realized the error of his ways and sacrificed himself to try and reverse the damage he's caused.

It's also worth mentioning the direction of Cilla Ware, who pulled off some decent sequences this week—in particular, there was a lovely shot when the camera pulled back from Lester and Jess to reveal the snarling jaws of a Future Predator before it started to prowl the ARC. Never underestimate how much a good camera move or choreographed action sequence can boost a show like Primeval, which demands a level of care and attention it rarely receives. The effects sequences of the intensifying super-anomaly, causing bizarre cloud formations and dragging entire buildings into its twinkling heart, were also notable highlights from a visual standpoint.

The story was largely unsurprising and could have ended a good half-hour early with some trimming, but overall series 5's finale was a great deal more exciting and watchable than every episode that's preceded it this year. I'm not sure what to make of the last-minute twist, however, when Matt encountered a bloodied doppelganger of himself in a darkened corridor who implored him to "go back". Primeval just broke a time-travel rule it established in series 1's finale (when meddling with history had an immediate effect on the present-day, and didn't result in an alternate timeline), so are we to assume there are two timelines now vying for existence? It doesn't make much sense right now, and to be honest I don't expect to provide a solid explanation from a show like Primeval, but I'm sure fans are just happy the ending suggests the writers expect to be recommissioned.

Whether the show deserves to come back after this frustratingly limp series is another matter.

Asides

• I never did understand Helen Cutter's motivations, or have forgotten whatever we learned over three years, so WHY did she manipulate Philip into causing the end of the world with his New Dawn project? How is causing the apocalypse in her interest?
• I seem to always mention this whenever the Future Predators make an appearance on the show, but they really are a great creature design. If you enlarged them, you almost end up with the Cloverfield monster, a good few years before that Lovecraft-inspired beast was conceived. The mutated versions here were perhaps even creepier because they sometimes moved around with a more human posture.

written by Steve Bailie & Adrian Hodges / directed by Cilla Ware / 28 June 2011 / Watch

PRIMEVAL, 5.5: anomalous

Considering there were a few game-changing events in this penultimate episode, it's surprising how little I cared. A dinosaur appeared in the middle of a populated area (yes, finally!) and made the national news, shortly before anomalies started appearing around the world. Surely the cat's out of the bag now, and ARC will have to come clean about the existence of time-portals and creatures from other eras entering our world? This episode didn't have a chance to explore any of the logical repercussions of these events depicted, sadly. Instead, it was focused on having the ARC team stop Philip (Alexander Siddig) from turning on his New Dawn device, which Matt (Ciarán McMenemin) is convinced will cause the end-of-the-world...

Broadly speaking, episode 5 was reasonable entertainment, ignoring a clear instance of the show biting off more than it could chew with an unconvincing T-Rex attack. The rampaging dinosaur didn't appear to have any weight to it, and passersby were seen reacting implausibly or with wrong eye-lines. It was an ambitious scene for the show to attempt, but not one it managed to pull off.

The first half of the episode was strangely dull, but things perked up in the last quarter-hour once everyone converged on Philip's "lair" to turn his machine off. In particular, the reveal that New Dawn isn't what it was presented as worked rather well. A source of renewable energy using the power of man-made anomalies? Nope. Instead, it's a way to combine multiple anomalies into one super-anomaly, at a time when Philip's predicted the glittering portals will become abundant across the world (an event tied into the moment when the Earth's magnetic poles reverse). So anomalies have been early warning signs of a magnetic pole shift, and Philip's been attempting to prevent disaster by "converging" the anomalies to stop a devastating shift from happening. But that's something Matt doesn't agree with, as he believes a pole shift is a natural process that should be allowed to happen. So will Philip's action or inaction result in global catastrophe? Let's toss a coin...

One problem I have with Primeval is how tawdry the production can look, and how ineptly some of the action is delivered. There were some really idiotic or weird moments that spoiled this episode: the aforementioned T-Rex shenanigans; Abby (Hannah Spearritt) playing chicken with a dinosaur in a car park, lips quivering as she revved her engine (a worse Fast & Furious audition you will not find); a ridiculously staged "battle of the blondes" between Abby and April; Jess (Ruth Kearney) apparently wearing a Snow White costume to work, and the continuing charisma vacuum of Matt.

The fundamental idea behind Philip's plan was good, it's always appreciated when a villain actually has good intentions, and I'm hopeful the show will now take place in a world where everyone's aware of dino-spewing anomalies, but it's a shame so much of the episode was rather laughable. Series 5's been reminding me of a fan-made spoof, which is never good.

written by Michael A. Walker / directed by Cilla Ware / 21 June 2011 / Watch

PRIMEVAL, 5.4: beetlemania

This was the most enjoyable episode of what's been a substandard series, if only because it kept things simple and played to the show's strengths. Episode 4 was a taught icky horror mostly set in the ARC, which was being flooded by thousands of giant beetles pouring through Connor's (Andrew Lee Potts) man-made anomaly. As Connor, Abby (Hannah Spearritt), Matt (Ciaran McMenemin), Emily (Ruth Bradley) and Becker (Ben Mansfield) grappled to contain the insect threat--complicated when insectaphobiac Jess (Ruth Kearney) was bitten and had an allergic reaction--Philip (Alexander Siddig) had to decide if he should incinerate the occupants of ARC before the teeming beetles escape into the outside world...

While this was a fun episode that, given its limitations, meant the story couldn't bite off more than it could chew. Primeval's on much surer footing when the plot is as simple as "avoid the beetles" (the CGI's usually more credible with creepy-crawlies, too), even if it still resorts to eye-rolling moments like himbo Becker shooting the queen beetle dead (against orders) or Jess finally leaving her desk... only to squeal, get bitten, and become a pale invalid. It would be more of an issue if the show didn't have some relatively strong female role-models in plucky Abby and tomboy Emily, admittedly. And they threw in a moment where the sickly Jess managing to shoot a bug dead, just to give her character a moment of courage.

And beyond the fun of seeing people hose down corridors crawling with beetles, it was the episode where Connor finally woke up to the fact his hero Philip's an egotistical megalomaniac, after realizing he was planning to kill them all to prevent the beetles getting out. It's an understandable concern, if you ask me, but there you have it. What else can you say about episode 4? I'm struggling with Primeval this year because the mythology of Philip's "New Dawn" project isn't very interesting (it obviously won't destroy the world), I couldn't care less about the Connor/Abby relationship, the show doesn't know what it's doing with time-traveller Emily, a plank of wood is more emotive than Matt, and it feels like this is just the dregs of series 4. The forward momentum with Connor now onside to stop Philip creating anomalies that may possibly destroy the world, is appreciated, but that's not a big enough hook to get me excited going forward.

written by Helen Raynor / directed by Robert Quinn / 14 June 2011 / Watch

PRIMEVAL, 5.3: Victorianasaurus

I can promise you that when I suggested Primeval do something outside of its comfort zone (like actually sending someone through an anomaly, perhaps to Victorian times, to capture a dinosaur), I genuinely had no idea that would be the basis of the very next episode! I'm either psychic, or Primeval's writers are gradually tuning into my wavelength! Unfortunately, this was a pretty unremarkable hour's entertainment, especially given the apparent juiciness of its concept, and just made you realize how much better Doctor Who does this kind of thing...

The basic idea had some fun elements, with the ARC team discovering an anomaly where a Dromaeosaurus (raptor) has travelled through to the 1800s, leading Matt (Ciarán McMenemin) to volunteer a trip into the past to capture the creature. Arriving in 1886, Matt soon discovered that the dinosaur is to blame for a spate of London killings the press are blaming on "The Beast", and that lost love Emily (Ruth Bradley) is likewise trying to capture the dinosaur and has become mistaken for the legendary Spring-heeled Jack. Meanwhile, in the present-day, Abby (Hannah Spearritt) became more resolved to dissuade boyfriend Connor (Andrew Lee Potts) from working on Philip Burton's not-so-secret project, and realized their relationship may not survive the process.

A malaise has struck me about Primeval just lately. I've never truly loved the show, and simply liking it can often be a struggle because it's so willfully dumb, but series 5 feels like the last dregs of series 4 are being squeezed out in the digital hinterland. Maybe a summer schedule on Watch is partly to blame (as I'm not in the mood for Primeval on a warm Tuesday evening), or if it's simply because Primeval continually does a disappointing job with a fantastic Hollywood-style concept. How can a romp through Victorian London, with a man from the distant future and a beautiful lady armed with twin knives, both chasing a prehistoric beast that's been mistaken for an iconic boogieman, be so strangely tedious? It's probably a combination of the fact the budget couldn't allow for much beyond chases through the "streets" of the Black Country Museum, and one muddy CGI vista of Tower Bridge from 125 years ago, but also because it was so hard to care about Matt or Emily. We're supposed to believe they're a compelling romantic couple, but it's never really worked for me, and even the side issue of Emily's husband (Stephen Hogan) wants to have her committed to the renowned mental asylum Bedlam didn't really interest me.

Not for the first time this year, the ARC-based storyline was more appealing in some ways, although again the writing's not strong enough to make you believe Connor wouldn't trust Abby after she warned him against working for Prospero Industries. And I still don't understand why Matt can't convince Connor the same way he convinced Abby (by showing him actual footage of the future he comes from, where anomaly-based experiments have caused global catastrophe.) It helps, I guess, that Spearritt and Potts are in a relationship in real life, as they connect quite well on-screen, but it's just a shame Primeval lacks the quality of writing a show like this needs. We're halfway through series 5 and Jess (Ruth Kearney) has been given nothing to do beyond sit at a desk, and Philip (Alexander Siddig) seems to have vanished—even when Connor's making breakthroughs in science that would make Einstein erect, he's only on the end of a phone? Incidentally, all this pioneering science from the kid in the porkpie hat who owned a laptop loaded with a dinosaur encyclopedia from series 1, whoever would have imagined!

Overall, episode 3 was a big disappointment considering what its one-sentence synopsis stokes in your imagination, but as the likes of Doctor Who becomes almost cinematic in their complexities (both visually and narratively), poor Primeval's looking increasingly tired. Even the CGI monsters rarely convince you the creatures are interacting with anyone, and instead look pasted into the environments and sometimes given almost cartoonish mannerisms. And I haven't even mentioned the laughable moment when Emily's husband stepped through an anomaly into a 2011 exhibition of modern art and didn't even bat an eyelid over the matter!

We're halfway through series 5—what are your thoughts?

written by Paul Mousley & Gabbie Foster / directed by Robert Quinn / 7 June 2011 / Watch

PRIMEVAL, 5.2: dinosaur on a submarine

There was a muted response to my premiere review of Primeval last week, so either people don't care about the show now, aren't aware of its return, or don't subscribe to Watch--the digital channel with the UK premiere ahead of ITV. I don't have much to say about episode 2, beyond the fact I was pleased it demonstrated some creativity--with an anomaly appearing deep in the North Sea and being discovered by a nearby British submarine...

The ARC team were sent aboard to seal the anomaly with a specially rigged torpedo, but after coming under attack from a liopleurodon (think Nessie) they found themselves dragged through the magnetized anomaly and into prehistoric waters. With no main power, a skeleton crew (of expendable cardboard cutouts), a propeller tangled in cable, a school of liopleurodons swimming around wondering if the sub's food, and a recovered eustreptospondylus (think velociraptor) gaining consciousness inside the sub, matters were actually made worse when a Navy Admiral monitoring events at ARC relinquished Lester (Ben Miller) of command and ordered the anomaly to be sealed using a nuclear-tipped torpedo.

Snakes On A Plane has nothing on Dinosaur On A Submarine, which is exactly what this was. It was a ludicrous hour, but knowingly so, and made more "slipshod sense" than most Primeval plots. It was enjoyable to have a story that managed to make the standard formula feel fresher, basically--with a deep sea environment and unusual circumstances the show hasn't tackled before. If anything, I was just disappointed the action sequences inside the submarine weren't very exciting with the on-board dinosaur, but that was off-set by some diverting exterior moments: such as Matt (Ciarán McMenamin) and Abby (Hannah Spearritt) in a submersible trying to untangle the giant propeller, and the giant dinosaurs slamming into the sub's hull.

Given the general competence of the week's plot, the side-order of mytharc was the least compelling element of the episode. I'm not sold on the idea Connor (Andrew Lee Potts) can't be taken into Matt's confidence about the fact he's come from the future and believes Philip Burton's going to cause a global catastrophe with the anomalies, as the writers have no persuasive argument for why Abby can't tell her boyfriend what she knows. The idea that Connor's spending the majority of his time working in secret for Burton doesn't quite work either, as the show's at pains to ensure Connor's around to participate in every adventure. It would make more sense if he was absent for awhile entirely, consumed by the "New Dawn" project, but obviously the show can't do that because ARC is staffed by a total of seven people.

A little better was the late reveal, via an old newspaper cutting, that Emily (the Victorian time-traveller who endeared herself to Matt in series 4) returned to her own time and was thrown into a mental asylum over her tall story, 12 Monkeys-style, I'm hopeful this means Matt will try and change history by going back through the next available anomaly to the late-1800s, or at least rescue her from the nuthouse, which would be something out of the show's comfort zone. Isn't it about time we had some adventures where the gang were capturing dinosaurs and monsters in the relatively recent past? Chasing a raptor through Victorian London or '60s Carnaby Street is exactly the kind of thing it's a shame Primeval is reticent to do--perhaps because it would be a strain on the budget.

Overall, episode 2 succeeded because the setting was unique for the show and, consequently, certain elements weren't entirely predictable. It didn't rewrite the rulebook, but it was something more imaginative than we usually get, with a claustrophobic tone and a story that justified its time nicely. Just don't ask too many questions: like how did that dinosaur get aboard the submarine, and why did the captain apparently decide it was a great idea to bring it aboard? Then again, the Royal Navy came out of this whole thing looking like blithering fools--compared to the ARC's own blithering fools.

written by Steve Bailie / directed by Robert Quinn / 31 May 2011 / Watch

Review: PRIMEVAL, 5.1

Burrow over to Obsessed With Film, where I've reviewed the series 5 premiere of PRIMEVAL, which  received its UK premiere on Watch last night.

As part of ITV's co-financing deal with BBC America, Germany's Pro Sieben and UKTV, that allowed the return of their axed sci-fi drama Primeval, it's UKTV's digital channel Watch who receive the British premiere of series 5. This results in mixed fortunes: loyal fans get new episodes mere months after series 4 ended on ITV, but it’s no longer accessible to everyone and isn't being simulcast in HD. It also strikes me as odd that Watch have moved Primeval from its customary Saturday timeslot, as I suspect they could have lured a sizable post-Doctor Who audience their way... Continue reading...

'Primeval' series 5 to debut 24 May

The action-adventure sci-fi series Primeval is returning for a fifth series on 24 May. As part of ITV's co-financing deal with BBC America, ProSieben and UKTV, the digital channel Watch will get the world premiere, with ITV1 repeating series 5 as a terrestrial premiere in early-2012. Watch will also be showing series 4 from 3 April @7pm, just prior to premiering brand new episodes.

It's a rather unique situation, isn't it! Doctor Who will also be splitting its series in half this year (the first seven episode airing from 23 April, followed by the remaining 6 in the autumn), but viewers will always find it on BBC1. In Primeval's case, I wonder how many ITV1 fans will be unaware new episode of Primeval are being broadcast on Watch this summer. I guess it depends on how much marketing Watch give the show's return, but I assume they'll be pushing this quite strongly. It's almost definitely going to be a ratings winner for them.

There's no word on BBC America's schedule. Primeval premiered on the same day in America earlier this year, before slipping to being a few weeks behind the UK, so will they have a similar arrangement with Watch? Or, worst case scenario, will BBCA viewers stay tethered to ITV1's broadcast, and consequently have to wait until next year?

'PRIMEVAL' 4.7

Even with expectations duly lowered, Primeval's series 4 finale could only muster a subdued sigh from me. I think the truly frustrating thing about Primeval is watching a fantastic premise go to waste in the hands of writers who rarely deliver competent weekly stories, let alone effective plot arcs across a whole series. This year involved: a mysterious old man warning against doomsday, an enigmatic new member of the team, two rogue time-travellers from the 19th-century, and an inscrutable science maven whose company finances the ARC, but none of it coalesced into anything interesting or surprising. It's the kind of show where your own drifting imagination, trying to make sense of what each episode throws up, generally delivers more interesting theories than the show's so-called answers, which is an incredibly frustrating position to be in as a sci-fi viewer.

As ever, an anomaly opened in another auspiciously unpopulated area (an old prison that's become a tourist attraction), and the ARC team were called to investigate the glittery incursion. Abby (Hannah Spearritt), Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts), Becker (Ben Mansfield), Emily (Ruth Bradley), and various grunts descending on the penitentiary, later discovering a new type of anomaly that's able to spawn duplicates of itself that Jess (Ruth Kearney) can't detect separately. And through each unstable anomaly came some Phorusrhacids (aka series 3's "terror birds"), accompanied by former ARC hero Danny Quinn (Jason Flemyng), wearing a red checked shirt and clutching a giant bird's thigh bone like some bizarre fusion of a caveman and lumberjack. In addition, Ethan (Jonathan Byrne) returned, drawn to the abandoned prison by a makeshift anomaly-detector he's created, with the intention of escaping back through time.

There's really nothing to discuss about this finale from a storytelling perspective, as it was just another variation on the gang running around an empty location, clubbing and shooting giant animals while Connor spouted pseudo-science behind the anomalies. The only things of interested was how the show handled the return of Quinn and attempted to explain and resolve some of the year's big storylines.

To be mildly positive, I'm glad Flemyng assumedly found time in his schedule to return to Primeval, so the writers could explain his character's absence from the show, with a role that was certainly more worthwhile than last week's return for Lucy Brown. However, Quinn's comeback also felt like a slightly annoying way to explain Ethan's entire back-story in one messy swoop, when the story delivered its one major surprise: Ethan is actually Patrick Quinn, the 14-year-old brother of Danny who was lost through an anomaly in series 3's second episode. That reveal felt quite promising when it became known, partly because of its total unexpectedness, but then it grew less impressive when you started to question its logic. Why did Patrick changed his name to Ethan? Why has he spent the past 18-years convinced his older brother left him behind to die? In addition, the explanation for Ethan having become a callous murderer was reduced to the suggestion a lifetime spent slaughtering prehistoric animals has given him the distorted belief that all life is cheap, and that extends to humans. Really?

Quite how a 14-year-old managed to locate other anomalies and, at some point, arrived back in the late-1800's and allied himself with Emily to journey through time together, was glossed over. Why would Emily spend time with someone like Ethan? It's mentioned that she was a bride-to-be, for no apparent reason, unless she's due to return for series 5. And what was Ethan's plan in the present, beyond visit his family home last week and realize he doesn't belong in this time anymore?

The late Helen Cutter was an infuriating character for other reasons, but you at least knew she had access to future technology that gave her command of the anomalies, but how could a young boy and a Victorian woman come to have developed similar mastery of these anomalies? None of it makes sense to me, and I'm pretty sure Primeval's writers know it doesn't make sense, too. Will they manage to explain the plot holes during series 5? Maybe so, but this isn't a show that gives me enough solid, logical answers to have faith in that. I'm still unclear about many things regarding Helen Cutter that Primeval had three years to clarify, but didn't manage to.

By the end of this finale, a popular theory that Matt (Ciarán McMenamin) is from the future was proven true, although nothing that happened here had any bearing on his mission to prevent a future apocalypse that will force mankind to live underground a scorched surface. Emily also vanished into an anomaly leading back to her own time, making you wonder what the ultimate point of her character ever was. The intended Matt/Emily "lovers across time" vibe just didn't work, not helped by zero chemistry between the actors and the broad failure of McMenemin to assume the mantle of the leading man. In fact, with the effortlessly more charismatic Flemyng on hand for this finale, clubbing giant ostriches around the beak with a giant leg bone, it reminded me just how much Primeval needs an actor like him at its heart. Most of the cast play the material so straight it's ridiculous, as if they think this is deep sci-fi and not just a knockabout excuse to show some antediluvian monsters running around modern times. For me, there's a reason series 3 was the best year of Primeval, in hindsight: it killed off the restrictively somber Douglas Henshall, and gave us Jason Flemyng battling a Gigantosaurus with a helicopter.

Overall, this was a tepid finale that didn't really end any of its storylines in a very compelling way, and ultimately found a way to put some of the bigger questions on the backburner. Matt still doesn't know who causes the anomaly-based global disaster, but it's likely to be Philip's (Alexander Siddig) company Prospero, because it's revealed he knew Helen Cutter, and it looks like Connor's becoming the Anakin Skywalker to Philip's evil Emperor. I get the impression a lot's been left open intentionally, because the producers knew they have the luxury of a fifth series (which has already been filmed), so hopefully they manage to pull this together for some decent pay-off.

What did you think of series 4, ultimately?

written by Paul Mousley / directed by Mark Everest / 5 February 2011 / ITV1/HD

'PRIMEVAL' 4.6

After last week's relative triumph, it was back down to earth with a bump for the penultimate episode of what's been a disjointed, frustrating comeback year for Primeval. The only indisputable success has been the enhanced quality of the CG (by virtue of the show's upgrade to HD), even if the creatures still rarely look like they exist in their environments or interact believably with the actors.

This week, an anomaly was detected at a stately home, so Matt (Ciarán McMenamin), Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts) and Abby (Hannah Spearritt) were sent to investigate, with time-traveller Emily (Ruth Bradley) tagging along under Matt's supervision. Arriving at the site, the team realized a group of Hyaenodon's (prehistoric hyenas) have been let loose in the building, which is currently the venue for a lavish wedding. And, coincidentally, the bride-to-be was none other than former ARC member Jenny Lewis (Lucy Brown), who it's revealed has kept her dino-fighting past a secret from milquetoast fiancé Michael. Meanwhile, Becker (Ben Mansfield) was tasked with hunting down errant Victorian desperado Ethan (Jonathan Byrne), eventually discovering his warehouse hideout, but finding himself in a precarious situation when he blundered inside and tripped one of Ethan's booby-traps. Fortunately, Jess (Ruth Kearney) was available to help him defuse Ethan's bomb, having accompanied her beloved Becker on his stakeout.

Unsurprisingly, this was another Primeval formula of "unusual setting" + "primitive beasts". The location and Hyaenodon's didn't offer anything terribly compelling, however, and to be honest the episode struggled to make this situation work. Why would Jenny want her big day to go ahead, if she's been made aware by her former colleagues that there's a pack of ravenous Hyaenodon's on the premises, who could easily attack and kill one of her guests? Why were the ARC team willing to go along with Jenny's idea of quietly continuing their mission without interrupting proceedings, knowing the clear risk to human life? And why did Abby and Emily seem to forget themselves and join Jenny for an impromptu girl's night in, before slipping on some slinky dresses and becoming part of the wedding ceremony the next morning? It also stuck out as being very rude of Jenny not to have invited Abby, Connor and Lester (Ben Miller) to her wedding to begin with, and the episode suffered from its chronic budget issues of being unable to populate any location with characters beyond the regulars. The sense of peril was therefore drastically reduced, as the wedding guests seemed to vanish into thin air until they were required for a few brief scenes.

This isn't croquet, this is "Extreme Croquet"

Putting aside the myriad nitpicks of this episode, it was mildly enjoyable to see the lovely Lucy Brown make a guest-starring return, despite the fact her drippy character was never very interesting and did nothing here to dissuade me otherwise. Jenny's relationship with Michael could have been the emotional backbone to the episode (a storyline about a woman keeping secrets from her betrothed), but it wasn't written to a standard that made this anything but a stock situation. Superficially, I guess it was nice to see Emily and Abby looking rather fetching in figure-hugging dresses, getting to work together as a mace-wielding duo during a Hyaenodon attack.

The subplot with Ethan continued to shuffle along, even though this is the penultimate episode and I was hoping for some clarity. The mystery of his character has been spoonfed ineptly, as I'm just puzzled by his behaviour and motivation. The clues each episode gives us about Emily/Ethan are so ambiguous, it's as if each writer doesn't know what's going on either but have been told to include certain things. I just hope next week's finale explains why someone so disturbed was travelling through time with Emily, and what his backstory is -- but to have reached this stage in the series without knowing Ethan's goal is just bad writing. It's impossible to care about him because we have no idea who he is, what he's doing, what he wants, or what he's planning. We're just told by Emily he's a threat and have to make sense of his actions (trying to kill Emily, setting booby-traps at a warehouse lair, visiting what appears to be his family home and getting recognized by an elderly neighbour, etc.) It seems likely that Matt and Gideon (Anton Lesser), who was unsurprisingly revealed to be his father, are time-travellers from the future, on a mission to stop Ethan instigating an apocalypse using the anomalies, but the show's target audience of 10-year-olds must be totally confused. Doctor Who does a far better job of gently unspooling its year's mytharc.

What did you think? I know Primeval splits opinion; some people lap up the cheesiness and creature capers, others gnash their teeth at the illogical plots and weak characterization. It rarely hits a happy medium for me, and series 4 has been especially hamstrung with its mishandling of characters and unclear mytharc.

WRITER: Matthew Parkhill
DIRECTOR: Robert Quinn
TRANSMISSION: 29 January 2011, ITV1/HD, 7.20PM

'PRIMEVAL' 4.5

After a hopeless run of wretched episodes, Primeval delivered a competently-told story with an agreeable mix of imagination, silliness, decent action, tongue-in-cheek homage's, and clarity with most of its storytelling. The script was co-written by creator Adrian Hodges and John Fay (Torchwood); two writers evidently more talented than the scribes who churned out the previous four hours, although there were still elements beyond their abilities to repair -- like the abortive subplot with the Victorian time-travellers.

Opening with a clunky pastiche of The Blair Witch Project (the first of many pop-culture references this week), we were swiftly presented with another of Primeval's standard setups: an anomaly giving off a fluctuating signal was detected by the ARC, so Lester (Ben Miller) sent Matt (Ciaran McMenamin), Connor (Andrew Lee-Potts) and Abby (Hannah Spearritt) to investigate the source at a small coastal town. Arriving to scout the location, Connor and Abby discovered a local legend about a man-eating "worm", which may in fact be a prehistoric Labyrithodont that's been visiting the area for centuries, and was responsible for the recent murder of a backpacker (shades of An American Werewolf In London, not least in the presence of an oppressive, murky pub.)

Primeval's a show that usually cuts to the chase quickly, and literally in this week's case. It was a monster hunt set around iconic British locations (seaside town, idyllic riverside, caravan site), but the story progressed smoother than usual this series. Hodges and Fay's script stuck to what's expected from the show, but proved that it's how you tell a story that matters. There was nothing particularly original going on here, but there was a feeling of comfort because the plot was delivered in a less choppy, more satisfying way. Simply ensuring the week's creature didn't appear on-screen for 25-minutes helped buuld some tension and mystery. The episode also tipped its hat to movies such as Deliverance, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, for the amusement of its older audience.

I also liked the clarity with Philip (Alexander Siddig) and Lester's relationship is representing, with brainiac Philip stressing his interest lies with the science of the anomalies, whereas Lester's focused on protecting people from the creatures that tend to wander through them. The story was primarily focused on Abby and Connor trying to locate the errant Labyrithodont around the eerie town, with a little help from Matt, who was eventually drawn away to rescue Emily (Ruth Bradley), who has been kidnapped by time-hopping oddball Ethan (Jonathan Byrne) and taken to a nearby cemetery.

The Emily/Ethan storyline has been series 4's biggest frustration, as I sense it's a decent idea that's been poorly handled. It's too unclear who Emily and Ethan are, what they both represent, and thus impossible to care about Ethan's mania over the death of their sick friend Charlotte -- who was a character that died minutes after her on-screen debut. While I understand a few vagaries are intentional, designed to provoke a sense of mystery, the writers haven't given us enough information to engage with these characters or this storyline.

I'm still utterly bewildered about Ethan, in particular. Who was Charlotte to him? Why is he the villain? If he's so unhinged, why were Emily and Charlotte hanging around with him? What is his plan, now he's in the 21st-century? And before you say the remaining episodes might explain all of this -- that's beside the point. You shouldn't be introducing characters in a situation that are impossible to engage with because of so much confusion, but expect audiences to put aside their complaints and wait for answers that aren't even guaranteed. Right now, it feels like Ethan's a variation of Helen Cutter, the time-travelling supervillain of series 1-3, who was likewise written awkwardly and illogically, before being killed off without giving us many satisfying answers. That I can remember, anyway. Feel free to elucidate me, Primevalites.

Overall, episode 5 was another step in the right direction and has me mildly optimistic the worst is behind us. Nothing here excuses the weak introduction of Matt (who's failed to leave his mark as the show's new lead), and the time-travelling vagabonds have been totally mismanaged by the writers, but the action-adventure at the heart of this week's episode was far more palatable. It even restored some semblance of intelligence to the series, when Connor realized the unstable anomaly was actually jump-started by an acidic pool of water in a seaside cave. This was a good episode of Primeval, particularly because it rediscovered its sense of humour and thus felt more likeable than it has done in awhile -- best demonstrated in a brief scene with Lester struggling with some tracking software on a laptop with Jess (Ruth Kearney). It's the little things, but they add up and can make a show appealing.

Asides

• Watch are currently airing repeats of Primeval in the UK. I never thought the sight of Douglas Henshall grumbling as he traipses up an office stairway, armed with a leaf blower, would feel like the good ol' days. Well, the better ol' days.
• I'm sorry if you're a Ben Mansfield fan, but this episode was noticeably better without Becker's character charging around with a stoical expression, clutching his gun.
• A minor observation, but it was nice to see Jess wearing something less pointedly kooky.

WRITERS: John Fay & Adrian Hodges
DIRECTOR: Robert Quinn
TRANSMISSION: 22 January 2011, ITV1/HD, 7PM

'PRIMEVAL' 4.4

We're halfway through series 4 already, and duly rewarded with another episode that reeked of by-the-numbers storytelling, offering us little new or surprising. However, as prescribed as it undoubtedly was, writer Paul Gerstenberger's plot was the best iteration of chase-the-dinosaur we've had this year, locating the action to a fortuitously empty school after hours.

Things began promisingly, as they often do with Primeval's jump-scare teasers, with a vague Breakfast Club vibe as three teenagers (two "geeks", one "mean girl") were seen being kept in detention by a teacher quickly eaten by a prehistoric therocephalian -- illogically able to get inside a vending machine for the purposes of attack. The anomaly was detected by Jess (Ruth Kearney) back at ARC, whose perky cuteness is beginning to defrost my disdain for her character, and a team comprised of Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts), Becker (Ben Mansfield) and Matt (Ciaran McMenamin) was sent to the school to close the gateway. Back at the ARC, Philip (Alexander Siddig) shocked Abby (Hannah Spearritt) by planning to euthanize some of the Menagerie's creatures they've been unable to return to their respective eras (do they ever try?), which inspired Abby to ignore her boss and find a way to smuggle the animals out of the facility to a private zoo.

I feel like I've written about this episode already, such is the feeling of déjà vu you get with this show. It's a shame the show doesn't have the budget or strength of premise to involve a fully populated school being attacked by mammalian crocodiles, but I can excuse that. What's hard to excuse is giving us three young guest stars that were so badly written and weirdly anachronistic. I swear the two geeks were wearing clothes from 1992. The "mean girl" was particularly badly served by the story, although I have to applaud the fact the show was brave enough to have her eaten by the beast-of-the-week while trampolining in a darkened gym. Primeval ususally shies away from killing sweet innocents. But still, these characters were written so thin they made Becker look like Hamlet, which completely robbed the denouement of its intended impact, when the two geeks deleted the embarrassing school-wise screensaver of the mean girl, out of respect for her passing. Shame we knew next to nothing about her, so it was hard to care, although I'd love to see how the school explains the death of a teacher and pupil during Monday's school assembly. Freak vending machine and trampoline accidents?

The series appears to have settled on the idea of splitting its time between the field missions to protect the public from time-travelling beasties, and some ARC-set shenanigans. Abby's crusade to protect the Menagerie's animals from death wasn't a bad story to tell, and certainly had value for younger viewers because of its ethical theme, but it didn't really amount to much. It was hard to see how Abby could achieve anything, even with inside help from Jess, although I quite liked the development that Jess eventually refused to assist Abby after witnessing the therocephalian eat the trampolining student via CCTV.

Overall, episode 4 was just another hour of people running around a building with flickering lights, armed with unconvincing high-tech guns, reacting to waddling CGI monsters. It handled that stuff fairly well, with enough pace to keep you engaged with its mild thrills, in-between your eye-rolling at the dumb teenagers making matters worse every step of the way. In the background of this episode, Victorian time-traveller Emily (Ruth Bradley) was captured in Matt's apartment by Ethan (Jonathan Byrne), who must rank as the most puzzling screen villain of the past decade. Beyond some understandable grief that his friend died last week, it's hard to know where Ethan's motivation is coming from, or what his deal is. These two characters are suffering even more than Matt, Jess and Philip this year, with the writing so unfocused that it's impossible to see what the point of them is.

Asides

• Matt doesn't like to talk about his childhood. Why do you think that is? Our of desperation for something interesting to happen, I'm going to theorize that Matt's a time-traveller like Emily and his childhood occurred in the future. C'mon, Primeval -- I dare you to top that.
• You can tell Ethan's a villain from the past very easily: he wears a cravat.

WRITER: Paul Gerstenberger
DIRECTOR: Cilla Ware
TRANSMISSION: 15 January 2011, ITV1/HD, 7PM

TV Ratings: 'Primeval', ITV1

Can you say "Stargate"?

ITV1's Saturday sci-fi series Primeval is having a tough time in the ratings. Its New Year's Day premiere only managed to pull in 4.4 million viewers, while the next-day audience for episode 2 dropped to 3.29m. The most recent third episode only marginally increased to 3.7m. At this rate, ITV will be wondering why they bothered bringing it back from cancellation, as I'm sure Primeval's still costing them a pretty penny, even if they're splitting costs (between BBC America, UKTV, Pro Sieben) and filming in Ireland for tax breaks.

So what's gone wrong? New Year's Day was a prime timeslot for Primeval's return, and the decision to debut two episodes that weekend wasn't bad. Maybe it would have helped if those episodes had been a more overt two-parter, spending some time introducing the new characters? More likely, I think the main reason Primeval's struggling with audiences is simple: the idea's exhausted itself, because the writers haven't risen to the challenge of giving the show a mythology that deepens and strengthens things. Why aren't the ARC team travelling into the past/future through those anomalies? Why haven't they got more control over these portals, to allow such adventures? Why are most episodes happy to be a slight variation on the basic monster-hunt scenario?

The fact Primeval's been off-air for 18 months is another contributing factor, as the show can't help feeling like yesterday's news. The fact it didn't explain the loss of characters Danny Quinn and Sarah Page (as the actors couldn't return) may have also rubbed some people up the wrong way. Quinn and Page were both new additions for series 3, so there's been an unfortunate lack of consistency for half the show's existence.

So is Primeval doomed? Well, not for awhile. There's definitely going to be a fifth series, because it was filmed back-to-back with the fourth (Watch have the UK premiere later this year.) But after that? I can imagine ITV pulling the plug, if ratings don't start to rise. A big show like this needs to be averaging 6m every Saturday, really. When you remember that Primeval's supposed to be ITV's equivalent of Doctor Who (in terms of popularity), it's not getting anywhere close to Who's average of 8 million last year.

Maybe if Primeval continues to be an overseas success and a ratings goliath for digital channel Watch, it'll get a sixth series -- but its survival is far from assured, based on its UK performance so far.

'PRIMEVAL' 4.3

Well, there was early promise, but it didn't last very long. Since this show began I often wondered why more people didn't come through anomalies (if they're not confined to prehistoric times), and Primeval has only ever explored that possibility once -- in the disappointing episode that wasted Tony Curran as a medieval knight. This episode returned to the idea, with three Victorians coming through an anomaly into a modern-day theatre, hoping to find medicine to save their sick friend. To add some of Primeval's usual spice, a bizarre "tree creeper" (think a lizard-y Michael Phelps with the head of a small T-Rex) followed them through, setting the stage for another ho-hum monster hunt, but with a character-based subplot. Sadly, this was all lost in a confusing and annoying storyline...

Primeval's always been a tough show to review, as it's plots and characters are paper thin and its aspirations low or beyond its skills. I could simply recount my reaction to the week's special-effects, list the plot-holes, and that would pretty much cover it. I think the big problem series 4 has is how the new characters are terrible, adding nothing to an already weak ensemble. Matt (Ciaran McMenamin) is excruciatingly earnest and boring, Becker (Ben Mansfield) has turned into a grade-A idiot, and Jess (Ruth Kearney) is only there to wear short skirts, bright shoes, and smile. Philip (Alexander Siddig) is easily the best new addition, but he's stuck behind a desk at the ARC, apparently filing in whenever Ben Miller's unavailable. Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts) and Abby (Hannah Spearritt), in particular, have never been that great, but they're benefiting from the fact their characters are the only ones with personalities of any description.

The episode itself was business as usual: a freaky monster let loose in a strange modern environment, requiring capture and, if possible, a safe return home. This being a kid's show at heart, the many options to kill creatures rarely get a look-in, although the beasts sometimes accidentally top themselves. Regardless of the tree creeper silliness, I was more intrigued by the possibilities of Victorians finding themselves in a modern society, but most of that was undone by the reveal they're seasoned travellers through "gateways", so didn't even bat an eyelid at the existence of enormous glass buildings and automobiles. To be honest, a lot of this storyline washed over me as it was so hard to care. In particular, the resolution of Matt deciding to keep Emily (Ruth Bradley) a secret from everyone after she'd helped them defeat the tree creeper, letting her move in with him, was very silly. I think there was supposed to be sexual chemistry between their characters to sell this development, but it didn't come across. And suddenly having Emily's friend Ethan (Jonathan Byrne) be referred to as a dangerous villain, now he's loose in the present-day, was even sillier.

Slightly more competent was a subplot at the ARC, even if it was ripped from the jumbo book of sci-fi clichés, with Connor accidentally triggering a building-wide lockdown when a security program he's testing for Philip detected pet dino Rex and sealed every door of the ARC. Of particular concern, Philip is trapped inside a room with Rex, where the air supply is quickly diminishing. Who creates a security program that, upon detecting a non-human creature, locks every door of the entire building, preventing any escape from said beast? Why does the system have no option to reverse this lockdown when the all clear's been given? Why does the system take 20-minutes to remove the oxygen from a room where a beast has been detected? And what a design flaw to have the lockdown happen, knowing it's trapped someone inside with the creature it's supposed to protect people from! I could go on. There was nothing new or surprising here, but it was at least harmlessly predictable fluff, and delivered a tiny clue about series 4's big picture mystery when Philip mentioned his top secret project "New Dawn".

Overall, this was a very unsatisfying episode from writer Debbie Oates, jumping between three boring subplots (catch the monster, the Victorian interlopers, and the ARC lockdown). I appreciated seeing Matt venture through the anomaly into ancient times (the show should really be embracing its time-travel possibilities), and the lockdown scenario was made bearable thanks to Siddig and Potts, but everything else felt meandering and too loose. This appears to be part one of a mini-arc, as Emily is still around for next week's episode, so maybe episode 3 will feel clearer in retrospect... but I'm predicting not.

WRITER: Debbie Oates
DIRECTOR: Cilla Ware
TRANSMISSION: 8 January 2011, ITV1/HD, 7PM