“Primeval” Series Three — A Slice of SciFi Review

Reviewed by: Michael Hickerson (Slice of SciFi Editor)

Where: BBC America
When: Saturday, May 16 at 9 p.m. EST
Starring: Douglas Henshall, Juliet Aubrey, Jason Fleyming, Laila Rouass, Hannah Spearritt, Andrew Lee-Potts

SoSF Rating = 4 out 5

Growing up a fan of “Doctor Who,” I vividly recall the agony of being an American fan of a British show.   Having to wait for months or even years for new episodes to debut in the United States could be difficult to take in my youthful impatience.    Fast forward twenty years and I wish the commitment shown by outlets like BBC America to giving American fans the latest and greatest in British sci-fi programming had been around back then.

Debuting in the United States only a few weeks after it premiered in Great Britain is the third series of “Primeval.”  For those of you unfamilar with the series, it’s a cross between “Stargate” and “Torchwood” with a touch of “Jurassic Park” thrown in.   The comparisons to “Stargate” will be even more prevalent as the third season unfolds and the Primeval team begins to tie the appearances of anomalies with the mythology of ancient civilizations.

Picking up a few weeks after series two left off, the third series of “Primeval” gets off to a great start with its debut episode, airing this Saturday on BBC America.   Team leader Nick Cutter is plagued by remorse and guilt over the death of a team-member in last season’s finale but soon determines there may be a way to predict how and where the anomalies occur.  The first episode finds the team battling a pre-historic crocodile-like creature that runs amok in the Thames.

The first two episodes will help reacquaint you with the “Primeval” universe, character and also introduce some new team friends and potential foes to the mix.  While the second episode feels a bit like a place-holder on first glance, it does offer some payoff as the season progresses.   It’s still not the strongest of the first four episodes, but you’ll want to pay attention for some details and storylines set in motion for the long-term story arc.

Of the first four episodes screened, it’s the third episode that will have fans buzzing the most.  It’s the strongest of the four made available for preview and one that will have fans excited for the season to come.   With an expanded run of ten episodes this year, there are a lot of interesting new factors coming into play and it’s nice to report that a new potential adversary to the team’s efforts has been introduced to give us someone else to root against besides Helen Cutter.   This potential thorn in the team’s side is introduced in the first episode but makes its presence felt more in the fourth episode.

Visually the series continues to set a high standard for itself, creating all types of fun and terrifying pre-historical and futuristic creatures.    The series stands as a good compliment to “Doctor Who” when it comes to targetting the family audience, though there are some genuinely scary creatures that the youngest viewers may want to avoid.  (The G-Rex in episode four, for example).  However, there are also a full compliment of other cuter, less threatening creatures (particularly in the third episode) that will delight viewers of any age.

But what you’ll come away with in these first four episodes is a series that is built solidly on characters and that isn’t afraid to shake things up and mess with the status quo.   The new team members are solid additions and the new adversaries along with their mysterious agenda and goals should provide for some fascinating development as the season progresses.

If you’re starting to feel the early stages of withdrawal as many of our favorite American-produced series draw to a close, “Primeval” is the perfect summer-time fun antidote.

One word of warning for those who want to watch these things in order.   BBC Amercia is showing us series three, while the SciFi Channel run is in the middle of series one and two.