Steven Spielberg’s latest TV show is a big-budget cross between Jurassic Park (dinosaurs and action adventure), Lost (wilderness survival, mysteries, long story arc) and a typical family drama (pick any, like Brothers & Sisters).  It mostly delivers as a family action adventure show, and is quite watchable, but falls short of greatness.  When watching, I’ve mostly been thinking, “gee, they should adapt Julian May’s Saga of Pliocene Exile, that would make a brilliant TV or film series.”

The premise is that in the 22nd century, humanity has screwed up the Earth and environment, and the only hope is to establish a colony 85 million years in the past, through a recently discovered, allegedly one-way time portal.  We follow the travails of the Shannon family as they escape future Earth and start a new life in Terra Nova.  While dodging dinosaurs.  But all is not as it seems, with a guerilla colony out there with their own unknown aims, and other mysteries that present themselves.  (Aside: Julian May’s Saga of Pliocene Exile book series has a similar setup with a one-way time portal millions of years in Earth’s past, but it’s way cooler;  check it out.)

Terra Nova majors on the light/dinosaur action and family dynamics with likeable characters and acceptable acting, but 4 episodes in, it doesn’t look like it’s going to explore any complex or dark themes (even Spielberg’s Jurassic Park was about science vs. nature), and the mystery seems more on the level of standard soap opera intrigue vs. the mythical depths of Lost or Battlestar Galactica (The Reimagined Series) or Julian May’s novels.  Hey, but who cares, it’s still slick and entertaining.

Currently airing (as of October 2011): Fox on Monday nights, Hulu Plus (including streaming to TVs) the day after air.

½ (out of 5)