Fandom Name: Alphas (TV) Where to find the canon: Amazon (sadly, it's not on Netflix or Hulu, and Amazon Prime only has the 2nd season free) What I love about it: So many things, it's ridiculous. First off, it has the best ensemble cast I've seen yet. It's diverse in many ways - with one of the women being Iranian-American, a black guy who's the one experienced law enforcement member of the team, a canon autistic character that's done very very well, there's a lot to like! The show is also not afraid to let the characters grow, change, and transform in interesting ways. You can see the team here: http://www.entertainmentwallpaper.com/images/desktops/movie/tv-alphas18.jpg
The general plot is as follows: Dr. Lee Rosen, a psychiatrist and therapist, leads a government-sponsored team of Alphas, people with extraordinary abilities (often referred to as "neurological differences"). Using their various gifts (which range from being able to temporarily reprogram minds to being able to see all electromagnetic waves), they solve crimes and, over time, are gradually sucked into a deeper agenda involving the government and an Alpha terrorist group called Red Flag. The moral dilemmas are complex, with few black-and-white lines, and the characters run a similar gamut.
Alphas is frequently compared to X-Men (not surprising, given Zak Penn wrote X2 and X3 before Alphas) and Heroes, but takes a slightly different approach. Rather than focusing on over-the-top, flashy, impossible gifts, Alphas takes ordinary human talents (overall) and dials them up by 1000 to get Alpha abilities. Plus, every Alpha ability comes with a downside; the show is more a deconstruction of humans with superpowers than a celebration of it. These characters, as one trailer put it, don't get to crime scenes in fancy jets beneath their office floor, they have to deal with the ordinary transportation issues anyone else does. They also deal with overprotective or dysfunctional families, insecurities and emotional scars, and various other challenges like anyone else.
As far as plot goes, no show is perfect, but Alphas does a great job at blending A-plot and B-plot, weaving in big themes and showing the characters wrestling with them over time. There's shadowy government agencies and rumors, there's Alpha terrorists with unclear motives and plans, there are loyalties tested and stretched and divided. And the show does not pull punches with the viewers - if you get into it, you'll probably shed a tear or two in a few episodes. But it is well worth watching all 24 episodes (even with the terrible cliffhanger at the end of the show!). I can't recommend this one enough.
Alphas (TV)
Where to find the canon: Amazon (sadly, it's not on Netflix or Hulu, and Amazon Prime only has the 2nd season free)
What I love about it: So many things, it's ridiculous. First off, it has the best ensemble cast I've seen yet. It's diverse in many ways - with one of the women being Iranian-American, a black guy who's the one experienced law enforcement member of the team, a canon autistic character that's done very very well, there's a lot to like! The show is also not afraid to let the characters grow, change, and transform in interesting ways. You can see the team here: http://www.entertainmentwallpaper.com/images/desktops/movie/tv-alphas18.jpg
The general plot is as follows: Dr. Lee Rosen, a psychiatrist and therapist, leads a government-sponsored team of Alphas, people with extraordinary abilities (often referred to as "neurological differences"). Using their various gifts (which range from being able to temporarily reprogram minds to being able to see all electromagnetic waves), they solve crimes and, over time, are gradually sucked into a deeper agenda involving the government and an Alpha terrorist group called Red Flag. The moral dilemmas are complex, with few black-and-white lines, and the characters run a similar gamut.
Alphas is frequently compared to X-Men (not surprising, given Zak Penn wrote X2 and X3 before Alphas) and Heroes, but takes a slightly different approach. Rather than focusing on over-the-top, flashy, impossible gifts, Alphas takes ordinary human talents (overall) and dials them up by 1000 to get Alpha abilities. Plus, every Alpha ability comes with a downside; the show is more a deconstruction of humans with superpowers than a celebration of it. These characters, as one trailer put it, don't get to crime scenes in fancy jets beneath their office floor, they have to deal with the ordinary transportation issues anyone else does. They also deal with overprotective or dysfunctional families, insecurities and emotional scars, and various other challenges like anyone else.
As far as plot goes, no show is perfect, but Alphas does a great job at blending A-plot and B-plot, weaving in big themes and showing the characters wrestling with them over time. There's shadowy government agencies and rumors, there's Alpha terrorists with unclear motives and plans, there are loyalties tested and stretched and divided. And the show does not pull punches with the viewers - if you get into it, you'll probably shed a tear or two in a few episodes. But it is well worth watching all 24 episodes (even with the terrible cliffhanger at the end of the show!). I can't recommend this one enough.