Alcatraz premieres on Monday, Jan. 16, and the new series is helmed by basically the entire crew that created Lost. It’s a crime drama with supernatural twists, surrounding the famous (and potentially haunted) Alcatraz prison. Here are five reason why I’ll definitely be watching Fox’s new freshman drama!
1. It will fill the void left after Lost went off the air
Let’s be honest here: a majority of the people who tune into the Alcatraz premiere will be desperate Lost fans hoping to find their new favorite series. I’m one of those viewers and I’m not ashamed to admit it. And it’s probably what the show is hoping for, considering they not only employed a crew full of Lost castaways, but they also cast Hurley (Jorge Garcia) and designed a poster that looks a little too familiar. But if anything, that means it has to be good, right?
2. It has all the elements of a great mystery drama
Alcatraz draws from established legends and adds hints of the supernatural into what otherwise seems like a typical crime drama… but there has to be so much more to it than that. (Or at least that’s what I’m hoping for.) This isn’t going to be the most popular statement in the world, but the first hour of Lost wasn’t that great. It just wasn’t. Once we got into Pilot Part II and the mysteries started to unravel and things started getting a little strange, that’s when it started to get good. But it took a full season before I was really hooked on Lost, and that’s the same chance I plan to give Alcatraz.
3. Alcatraz has things that go bump in the night
Myths, ghosts and haunted prisons with decrepit staircases and cobwebbed corners get me every time. Throw in some spooky fog, drifting across the ocean, trapping everyone inside said haunted prison? I’m in. The Bermuda Triangle-esque disappearances are an added bonus, but I’m basically on board for any and all ghost stories, provided they stay mysterious and keep my attention — two things I expect Alcatraz will definitely be able to do.
4. The casting seems fantastic
As mentioned above, I’m ecstatic to see Jorge Garcia return to the small screen full-time, as Alcatraz’s Diego “Doc” Soto. Soto is an author, Alcatraz prison expert and comic book enthusiast, essentially the “Alcatraz encyclopedia” on the show. Not much is known about Emerson Hauser, the character played by Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill, but his character (the head of a government agency) seems powerful, intriguing and a little bit creepy in the newest trailer.
5. The show was edited after the ComicCon screening
The Alcatraz pilot received mixed reviews at ComicCon this summer, but the producers took that feedback, did some reshoots, and revamped the pilot episode based on viewers’ reactions. This means that, not only will the pilot have hopefully been changed for the better, but it shows that the Alcatraz crew is willing to listen to the audience and make changes based on what we want.
Does J.J. Abrams’ Alcatraz risk going too far into Lost territory? Yes. It stars Jorge Garcia in what I’ve heard is basically the same character, revolves around a mysterious island and has an underlying “Others” group to be fearful of. My only hope is that the show manages to stay different enough to be interesting on it’s own, and not just because we all miss Lost. I do think, however, that this show would still be drumming up a lot of interest, even if Lost had never existed. It’s intriguing in it’s own right, and I’m looking forward to the Monday premiere! If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the Alcatraz trailer below.
This column was written by Hypable staff writer Sarah Maloy. Follow her on Twitter @smaloy, and join her while she live-tweets the 2-hour Alcatraz premiere on Monday at 8 p.m. ET!