Alcatraz: Discussion Thread

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ALCATRAZ

From executive producer J.J. Abrams (FRINGE, “Lost,” “Star Trek” and the upcoming “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” and “Super 8”) and writer and executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff (“Lost,” “Deadwood”) comes ALCATRAZ, the chilling new thriller centered on America’s most infamous prison and one-time home to the nation’s most notorious murderers, rapists, kidnappers, thieves and arsonists. When San Francisco Police Department DET. REBECCA MADSEN (Sarah Jones, “Sons of Anarchy”) is assigned to a grisly homicide case, a fingerprint leads her to a shocking suspect: JACK SYLVANE (guest star Jeffrey Pierce, “The Nine”), a former Alcatraz inmate who died decades ago. Given her family history – both her grandfather and surrogate uncle, RAY ARCHER (Robert Forster, “Jackie Brown”), were guards at the prison – Madsen’s interest is immediately piqued, and once the enigmatic, knows-everything-but-tells-nothing government agent EMERSON HAUSER (Sam Neill, “Jurassic Park”) tries to impede her investigation, she’s doggedly committed. Madsen turns to Alcatraz expert and comic book enthusiast, DR. DIEGO “DOC” SOTO (Jorge Garcia, “Lost”), to piece together the inexplicable sequence of events. The twosome discovers that Sylvane is not only alive, but he’s loose on the streets of San Francisco, leaving bodies in his wake. And strangely, he hasn’t aged a day since he was in Alcatraz, when the prison was ruled by the iron-fisted WARDEN EDWIN JAMES (Jonny Coyne, “Undercovers”) and the merciless ASSOCIATE WARDEN E.B. TILLER (Jason Butler Harner, “The Changeling”). Madsen and Soto reluctantly team with Agent Hauser and his technician, LUCY BANERJEE (Parminder Nagra, “ER”), to stop Sylvane’s vengeful killing spree. By delving into Alcatraz history, government cover-ups and Rebecca’s own heritage, the team will ultimately discover that Sylvane is only a small part of a much larger, more sinister present-day threat. For while he may be the first, it quickly becomes clear that Sylvane won’t be the last prisoner to reappear from Alcatraz. Through the course of the investigation, Madsen and Soto will learn that Agent Hauser has known about the prison’s secret history and has been awaiting the prisoners’ return. Soto will witness his life’s work – the history of Alcatraz – come alive. Madsen will be forced to keep her supportive San Francisco cop fiancé, JIMMY DICKENS (Santiago Cabrera, “Heroes”), at arm’s length from the highly classified assignment as she sees everything she thought she knew about her family’s past shattered, all while fighting to keep the country safe from history’s most dangerous criminals.

PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television, Bonanza Productions Inc.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Elizabeth Sarnoff, Danny Cannon (pilot)

WRITERS: Elizabeth Sarnoff, Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt

DIRECTOR: Danny Cannon

CAST: Sarah Jones as Det. Rebecca Madsen, Jorge Garcia as Dr. Diego “Doc” Soto, Sam Neill as Emerson Hauser, Parminder Nagra as Lucy Banerjee, Robert Forster as Ray Archer, Santiago Cabrera as Jimmy Dickens, Jonny Coyne as Warden Edwin James, Jason Butler Harner as Associate Warden E.B. Tiller

GUEST CAST: Jeffrey Pierce as Jack Sylvane

Yay!!!! This was one of the shows I really wanted.

I'll give this a try. It looks pretty good to me.

Did anyone else watch? I'm so loving this already because of my girl Sarah Jones but also the mystery, history and intrigue has me hooked because its fricking Alcatraz! I just did NOT get the ending... WTF is up with Lucy?! I must know.

Off to rewatch... hopefully more will join in the discussion.

I kept flipping back and forth from Alcatraz and the Betty White 90th Bithday bash, kept going back to Alcatraz .

Sam Neil Hurley from LOST Another hero? named Jack. I think I'm in.

LOL you mean Jack Sylvane or is there really someone else named Jack?

WOOOOOO According to reports it was a smash hit from TV By The Numbers to TV Line! So happy for the cast and crew!

I thought it was dreadful, slow and uninteresting. They should have premiered with one hour and given more hints on what happened to the inmates. I ended up watching it during the commercials of Being Human. I so wanted to love it because of Sam Neill, Jorge, and Parminder. I could not believe that Robert Forster only got that brief scene. What a waste. I also did not like the lead actress. I found those scenes with her and Jorge in the Alcatraz stilted and unbelieveable. I wish they would shove the blonde to the background, give Parminder the leading role with Jorge and build up an antogonistic relationship between Sam Neill and Robert Forster.

Edited January 17, 201214 yr by Ann_SS

Wow! What a great premiere! I'm totally in for the rest of the season. Love the mystery and serialized aspect of the show which makes me very happy that it's not a straight up procedure. I didn't see that ending with Lucy coming, so I guess that means Lucy set herself up to get shot? Never seen Sarah Jones before but she's definitely a cutie - she has amazing eyes and a pretty nice rack. Nice seeing Hurley again who of course provided some humour. Another "Lost" connection is Michael Giachinno's fantastic music.

I thought it was utterly boring and totally uninteresting. Very disappointing.

I thought it was utterly boring and totally uninteresting. Very disappointing.

Same here. I'll watch the next episode though, just to make sure.

I just watched the premiere last night and I loved it! Can't wait to watch the next episode.

Kit Nelson was the creepiest so far. I'm lovin' Sam Neil's character. lol a turntable and the doctor dancing.

The parting shot of the doctor lighting up and dancing was creepy so I LOVED IT. I have a feeling about that "dead body" though and can see it raising.

All in all I'm finding the show interesting especially since all of the "GOOD GUYS" seem to have some deep dark secret lurking in their background

This is funny:

Fans of the new FOX drama 'Alcatraz' are starting to become a problem for the people who work at the real McCoy.

The National Park Service, which now runs the defunct prison, has put up signs asking visitors who are poking around in closed off areas to please not do so, FOX 40 reports.

“The TV Show Alcatraz is fictional. Many areas depicted in the film are not real,” reads one sign on the premises.

See the Alcatraz sign.

The fictional series, which debuted this fall, features a secret lab underneath Alcatraz and other made-up locations and features that interested tourist viewers may be trying to get a better look at.

The only problem is, they don't exist.

Park rangers also tweeted on Monday that there “are no tunnels like in The Rock either,” referring to the Nicolas Cage movie about Alcatraz of the same name.

(Al Capone doesn't live there anymore either, by the way.)

Read more:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/01/30/fans-show-alcatraz-causing-problems-at-prison-turned-park/#ixzz1l2yQgqrY