Continuum (TV series)


Continuum is a Canadian science fiction series created by Simon Barry that premiered on Showcase on May 27, 2012, and ran for four seasons. It was produced by Reunion Pictures, Boy Meets Girl Film Company, and Shaw Media.
The plot centres around the conflict between a group of terrorists from the year 2077 who time travel to Vancouver, British Columbia in 2012 and a police officer who unintentionally accompanies them. In spite of being many years early, the terrorist group decides to continue its violent campaign to stop corporations of the future from replacing governments, while the police officer endeavours to stop them without revealing to everyone that she and the terrorists are from the future.

Premise

City Protective Services law enforcement officer Kiera Cameron lives with her husband and son in 2077-era Vancouver under the corporatocratic and oligarchic dystopia of the North American Union and its Corporate Congress, a technologically advanced high-surveillance police state. When a group of self-proclaimed freedom fighters known as Liber8 escape execution by fleeing to the year 2012, Kiera is involuntarily transported with them. Joining with Detective Carlos Fonnegra of the Vancouver Police Department and enlisting the help of teen computer genius—and future corporate oligarch—Alec Sadler, Kiera works to track down and thwart Edouard Kagame and his followers in the present day while concealing her identity as a time-traveller from the future, and tries to find a way to return home to her family.

Prelude

Episodes from the first season and the second begin with the plot of the show narrated via a voice-over from the point of view of Kiera Cameron.
Starting with the third season, the narration was replaced by a new sequence that contains a computer-animated version of the time travel device, scenes from previous seasons, and cast credits, before finishing with Kiera Cameron holding the device, followed by the title card.

Cast and characters

Main

The first season has 10 episodes. On August 25, 2012, Showcase renewed Continuum for a second season of 13 episodes which premièred on April 21, 2013 in Canada, May 23, 2013 in the UK and on June 7, 2013 in the US. On June 5, 2013, Continuum was officially renewed for a third season which premièred on March 16, 2014 on Showcase in Canada and April 4, 2014 on Syfy in the US.
During an interview in May 2014, Simon Barry revealed that he had 7 to 10 seasons in mind for Continuum. Showcase announced on December 8, 2014 that Continuum had been renewed for a fourth and final season of six episodes, which began airing September 4, 2015 on Showcase in Canada, and on September 11, 2015 on Syfy in the US. The series concluded on October 9, 2015.

Production

Development

Series creator Simon Barry explains how the show was picked up by Showcase:

Broadcast

The series premiered in Canada on May 27, 2012, with Season 1 consisting of ten episodes; and concluded on October 9, 2015, after forty-two episodes.
In French Canada, it debuted on addikTV on November 6, 2013.
It premiered in the UK on September 27, 2012, on Syfy, with season 2 returning on May 23, 2013, and season 3 on January 28, 2015.
The series premiered in the U.S. on January 14, 2013, on Syfy, with season 2 premiering on June 7, 2013, season 3 on April 4, 2014 and season 4 on September 11, 2015.
The series premiered in Australia on SF on February 21, 2013, and returned for season 2 on October 3, 2013. Season 3 premiered on Syfy on May 5, 2014.

Cancellation

The show was cancelled mid-story, but was allowed to make a further six episodes in a fourth season to come to a conclusion. Because of the reduced number of episodes, the final season focused primarily on Kiera, Alec, Carlos and Kellog. Emily, Julian and the Traveler were originally all supposed to get larger stories, but their threads had to be dropped. The Traveler, who had a build-up in season three, was meant to be used as a way to branch out and expand the show's mythology by exploring his background in detail and how he was connected to everything. There were also talks about doing an entire season about the members of Liber8 and their individual backstories.
Simon Barry has also expressed interest in continuing the Continuum universe and mythology in other mediums if possible, as there were "some great ideas that never made it to the screen" due to the cancellation; for instance, he would love to follow Kellog's story after the final episode as a book or graphic novel. He also says he would love to see fans exploring the universe and characters in the form of fan fiction.

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 80% approval rating for the first season, with an average rating of 7.2/10 based on 10 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Continuum blends time-tested genre ingredients to deliver a sci-fi crime drama that's solidly entertaining despite its overall familiarity." Reviewer Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times described the series as "slick" and highlighted its attention to detail. Reviewer David Hinckley of the New York Daily News compared Continuum positively to Life on Mars, another series with a time travelling police officer, and gave the show three stars out of five. According to Hinckley, the series has potential to do well, and if it "doesn't aim to soar, it executes the basics well".

Awards

On January 15, 2013, the day after the U.S. launch, the Canadian Screen Awards nominated Continuum for 5 Screenies: Best Drama Series, Writing, Direction, Music and Visual Effects. It won in the latter category. The show received a record 16 Leo Award nominations.
YearAwardCategoryRecipientsOutcome
2013Leo AwardsBest Dramatic SeriesContinuum
2013Leo AwardsBest DirectionWilliam Waring, "Family Time"
2013Leo AwardsBest DirectionPatrick Williams, "Endtimes"
2013Leo AwardsBest ScreenwritingSimon Barry, "Endtimes"
2013Leo AwardsBest CinematographyDavid Pelletier, "Endtimes"
2013Leo AwardsBest EditingAllison Grace, "Family Time"
2013Leo AwardsBest EditingAllan Lee, "Endtimes"
2013Leo AwardsBest Production DesignChris August, "Endtimes"
2013Leo AwardsBest Costume DesignMaya Mani, "A Stitch in Time"
2013Leo AwardsBest Stunt CoordinationKimani Ray Smith, "Wasting Time"
2013Leo AwardsBest Male Guest PerformanceJesse Moss, "Matter of Time"
2013Leo AwardsBest Male Guest PerformanceIan Tracey, "Endtimes"
2013Leo AwardsBest Supporting ActorRichard Harmon, "Family Time"
2013Leo AwardsBest Supporting ActorBrian Markinson, "Endtimes"
2013Leo AwardsBest Supporting ActressJennifer Spence, "Playtime"
2013Leo AwardsBest Supporting ActressLexa Doig, "Endtimes"
2013Constellation AwardsBest Sci-Fi TV SeriesContinuum
2013Constellation AwardsBest Sci-Fi Film or TV ScriptContinuum
2013Constellation AwardsBest Female Performance in a Sci-Fi TV EpisodeRachel Nichols
2013Constellation AwardsOutstanding Canadian Contribution to Sci-TV Film or TVContinuum
2013Saturn Awards Best Television PresentationContinuum
2013Writers Guild of CanadaDrama SeriesSimon Barry, "Second Time"
2014Leo AwardsBest Picture Editing in a Dramatic SeriesJamie Alain
2014Leo AwardsBest Dramatic SeriesContinuum
2014Leo AwardsBest ScreenwritingSimon Barry
2014Leo AwardsBest CinematographyMichael Wale
2014Leo AwardsBest Make-Up in a Dramatic SeriesJennifer Kipps
2014Leo AwardsBest Stunt Coordination in a Dramatic SeriesKimani Ray Smith
2014Leo AwardsBest Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic SeriesLexa Doig, "Split Second"
2014Leo AwardsBest Direction in a Dramatic SeriesWilliam Waring
2014Leo AwardsBest Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic SeriesRoger R. Cross
2014Leo AwardsBest Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic SeriesJennifer Spence, "Second Opinion".
2014Canadian Screen AwardsSupporting ActressLuvia Petersen
2014Canadian Screen AwardsVisual EffectsContinuum
2014Saturn Awards Best Syndicated/Cable Television SeriesContinuum
2014Saturn Awards Best Television ActressRachel Nichols
2014Saturn Awards Best Television Supporting ActorErik Knudsen
2015Saturn Awards Best Syndicated/Cable Television SeriesContinuum
2015Saturn Awards Best Television ActressRachel Nichols
2015Saturn Awards Best Television Supporting ActorErik Knudsen
2015Saturn Awards Best Television Supporting ActressLexa Doig
2016Prix Aurora AwardsBest Visual PresentationContinuum
2016Saturn Awards Best Science Fiction Television SeriesContinuum
2016Saturn Awards Best Television ActressRachel Nichols
2016Saturn Awards Best Television Supporting ActorErik Knudsen

Other media

Zeros 2 Heroes Media Inc. has created an alternate reality game website, Continuum the Game.
The game site also includes a Comics section, featuring Continuum: The War Files, which is an eight part graphic novel that tells of the war going on in 2065, between the Corporations and Liber8. The comic was available only in Canada.
Rittenhouse released a trading card set based on the show in June 2014.