Customer Reviews

Odyssey 5 - The Complete Series

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

An intelligent well written series that was cancelled too soon "Odyssey 5" only ran one season on Showtime before the network in its infinite wisdom (much as the Sci-Fi Channel did with "Farscape") to pull the plug before writer/creator/producer Manny Coto had a chance to resolve the story. Coto went on to revive "Star Trek: Enterprise" surprising the best two seasons of that show and providing one of the most compelling story arcs "Enterprise" had. He's since gone on to co-producer and writer "24". Even without its resolution "Odyssey 5" is a worthwhile show to watch. Working on a shoestring budget compared to most shows Coto managed to produce a number of intelligent episodes with some outstanding acting and effects work. Although the DVD set lacks the powerhouse extras we see on some releases it does include a terrific commentary track on the pilot episode with Manny Cotto and Peter Weller providing the play-by-play on the shooting of the show and unshot episodes.

While completing a routine mission to service a satellite the crew of the Space Shuttle Odyssey 5 Commander Chuck Taggart (Peter Well), biologist Kurt Mendel (Sebastian Roch?), Neil Taggart (Christopher Gorham), astronaut Angela Perry (Tamara Craig Thomas) and TV newscaster Sara Forbes witness the implosion of the Earth. Suddenly the human race with the exception of these five individuals has been wiped out. Running out of oxygen and with no options the crew wait for their end aboard the Space Shuttle. They're saved by an alien who calls himself the Seeker (John Neville "Baron Munchausen" and "The X-Files") whose own world was also wiped out by a mysterious force referred to as Leviathan. It seems the Seeker has been trying to contact other intelligent species for 300 years but each time he arrives it's the same-the world has been destroyed with all its inhabitants. The Odyssey 5 crew are the first survivors he's run into and he offers them the hope of averting Earth's destruction by sending their consciousness 5 years into the past so they can unravel who and what was behind the Earth's destruction.

While some episodes of the show could be a bit routine (for example the one where the crew begin losing their memory had a lot of potential but fails to deliver)the overall quality of the show was extremely high with intelligent scripts that dealt with difficult ethical and moral issues within a science fiction frame work. For example the series frequently deals with the impact when the crew tries to change tragic or difficult events in their own past and how things don't quite work out the way they had planned. Overall the show had much promise and I'm hoping that Coto returns to the show again either in a TV mini-series format (hopefully with the original cast) or film to resolve the cliffhanging conclusion of the show.


Sony has provided us with "Odyssey 5" on five dual layered single sided discs. Although there's some minor digital artifacts overall the show looks splendid. With sharp, bold colors and a strong 5.1 mix. The dialogue is clear and crisp while direction effects are particularly nice during the pilot episode.

While short on special features the show is presented as it aired on Showtime not the version that was broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel. Manny Coto and Peter Weller provide an intelligent perceptive commentary track on the two hour pilot episode. It's a pity that Sony chose not to have them do a commentary track on any of the other episodes but I'm grateful that we got some extras with this set. I'm sure that Showtime probably had a behind-the-scenes featurette that they aired prior to the show's premiere but Sony would probably have to license that from Showtime. The price for the 19 episodes is a bit steep (but not out of line with other shows of its type) however given the excellent transfer, 5.1 mix and commentary track it's worth it. Coto doesn't share how the series was going to conclude in the commentary track as he has hopes that he might be able to revive the concept for a made for cable movie (Sci-Fi this is your chance to make up for screwing the pooch when you cancelled "Farscape") or a series of movies. I'm hoping that he can pull it all together as this series (and its fans) deserves to have a resolution worthy of its intriguing concept.

A terrific show that certainly deserved better treatment than it received from Showtime (hey if Showtime can keep on some of the trash they've committed to over the years they certainly should have lived up to the commitment to allow Coto to close out the series), "Odyssey 5" may frustrate a few fans because it doesn't have a resolution but the show's terrific writing and acting make this a worthwhile show to pick up for science fiction fans. I knew there was a good reason why I cancelled Showtime.

So why not 5 stars? The transfer is exceptional (5 stars) with great 5.1 audio. The show deserves it but without a resolution and only 1 extra (Manny Coto and Peter Weller's commentary track which is exceptional)the set gets four stars. Hopefully Coto can convince the Sci-Fi Channel (which ran the series recently) to spring for a six hour minin-series to tie up the loose ends much like "Farscape" (a show that Sci-Fi idiotically cancelled and then returned to for the concluding mini-series).

This series is quite possibly my alltime favourite, Manny Coto is somewhat of a genius.

The five main characters (Chuck Taggart, Neil Taggart, Kurt Mendel, Angela Perry and Sarah Forbes) are played by great actors, and are deep interesting and the series explores each background.

The overall plot has been well thought out and is unpredictable so the audience doesn't get bored. The action doesn't ever stop, and there is a fair amount of humour between the characters too, especially in the episode featuring Ted Raimi.

It is definitely a show designed for a more mature audience, as the slightly excessive swearing and naked women make it unsuitable for children.

Seriously worth getting.

Krazy

This is absolutley one of the best series I have ever seen in my 40 years of watching television! It's obvious why the executives at Showtime paniced: The show was way too subversive for a politically conservative medium like cable t.v.! The political and philosphical statements Odyssey 5 were literally making in each episode were just too much for the spineless creatures that rule the cable airwaves!

My favorite genre is science fiction & fantasy. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly over the years. Nothing, except for Star Trek, Farscape and Babylon 5 comes close to the genius and passion of Odyssey 5! I can think of few television series where I cared so much for each main character, or the extensive range of emotions felt. The series was like theater! There's no other way to describe it!

Had those responsible at Showtime kept Corporate at bay, instead of canceling the series literally in mid-sentence, the eventual controversey Odyssey 5 might have generated would've been good for business!

The only drawback the series had was the importance of watching each episode in sequence. But with all the recording technology now available, this minor obstacle would not have been very difficult to overcome!

The loss to science fiction was incalcuable by the obnoxious cancelation of this unique series. Perhaps, someone soon will have the courage to pick up the pieces and write a book, or make a movie, and finish the series with the same amount of passion and subversiveness as the creators of Odyssey 5 did! One can only hope!

Reviews usually aren't my thing, but I couldn't pass this up. Odyssey 5 was probably the most intelligent sci-fi show to ever be aired on tv. Extremely well written, the mix of science, paranoia, humor and pathos always gave the viewer something to think about until the next episode. This is not a series for the strictly ray-guns and rocketship set or for kids. No neat package of happy endings was ever offered throughout the series, and some real human tragedies were handled with seemingly heartfelt emotion. There was plenty of action, and more real science than most fictional tv offers, however, the soul of the show was real people balancing their altered lives with the burden of an impossible situation and an awesome responsibility. I highly recommend this series for any sci-fi buff or anyone who enjoys a really good drama and won't be put off by the science/techie talk.

Odyssey 5 is my favorite sci-fi show of all time. It is like watching the X-Files, the Matrix, Quantum Leap, and Star Trek all at the same time. I believe it is one of the first shows to have the same realism that the Matrix had, you really believe that it is possible.

The plot: (you learn the following in the first 30 minutes)
There are astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Odyssey, when they see the Earth explode, or implode to be precise. There are only 5 survivors aboard the shuttle, when they are picked up by an Alien life form that calls itself "The Seeker". "The Seeker" sends them back in time to try and save the Earth from exploding.

Odyssey 5 has an air of realism that I have not seen in a sci-fi show since the Matrix, at least until Neo gets super powers in the real world:( The plot, writing, screenplay, acting, music, and science are all exceptional. And because of the drama and storyline, it is a show that you can probably watch with your wife, or significant other, but probably not your kids, due to some brief nudity and obscene language.

I can go on and on, so I guess I should stop now. I am sure this show will one day be completed, in one form or another, after all "Anything is possible. You believe that, don't you?"

The following websites can provide more insight into Odyssey 5. Notice, the following websites may have spoilers.
Manny Coto's website:
http://www.mannycoto.com

How to destroy the Earth:
http://qntm.org/destroy (ps, one of the methods mentioned may be the one used in Odyssey 5 to destroy the Earth, but we never find out for sure, because the show ended)

Odyssey 5 fan site:
http://www.theseekeronline.com/

I didn't really know what to expect from this series. I bought it for one reason and one reason only - Peter Weller. I was hooked in the first five minutes. This series will seriously blow your emotional circuitry! It is beyond me why Peter Weller is NOT a superstar, he is phenomenally talented! Stunning special effects, apparently the pilot was made on a budget that resembles a shoe string! The stories compel, confuse, rattle, move and inspire. My heart breaks in "The choices we make" the scene where Peter (Chuck) talks about his tumultuous relationship with his father. I am furiously livid that this series was cancelled. I turn on the TV and 90% of it is utter and total tripe. Peter is pushing onto the big 60, so I hope Manny Coto gets it sorted soon and brings this series back cause no-one will be able to fill Professor Weller's shoes!

Before BSG took scifi into adult territory, Odyssey 5 had already been there and done that. Premiering on the pay cable network Showtime, O5 put a great premise to the test, and took full advantage of its creative freedom to produce a science fiction series that didn't feel the need to pander to a youthful or family audience.

Nothing against popular shows like Stargate SG-1 or Star Trek, but they're as mainstream and inoffensive as possible, as part of their business model. Those shows never push any envelopes beyond what they think their audience expects, and as a result those shows often feel like the television equivalent of junk food -- sweet, satisfying, but ultimately not very stimulating or nutritional. BSG and O5 are the perfect antitheticals to those series; shows with the balls to do away with convention and tell some terrifically dark stories.

Odyssey 5 begins with the world's destruction, and takes us on a 19-episode journey through the lives of five of the most enjoyable, realistic characters I've ever seen in a scifi series. It was Showtime's highest-or-second-highest-rated program while it was on the air, but it was canceled by those idiots because they wanted to move away from genre television and into the territory of better networks like HBO and FX. Sadly, it ends on a sour note as the series was canceled despite high ratings, and no wrap ups have been planned so far.

The series was probably the first genre show in ages to treat adult viewers like adult viewers. The show regularly pushed the envelope in terms of content and subject matter, and as a result, it has never been aired in the US outside of pay networks like Showtime and later HDNet. In addition to the total creative freedom, the series was free from the traditional TV structure. Lacking teasers, tags, and act breaks, the episodes play out like a scifi Sopranos, with running times often going longer than the typical 42 minutes allowed for broadcast shows now. Some episodes run past the 50 minute mark with no commercials, making for some very satisfying storytelling. It's a shame it got pulled because of some expensive game of Follow The Leader (O5 fans will get the joke). With a premise and a cast this fantastic, and a fanbase as devoted as this, I'm sure Odyssey 5 will see the light of day again someday. Perhaps even back at Showtime, where their decision to move away from science fiction precipitated a steep ratings and subscriber decline, and none of their current shows generate any buzz whatsoever. (Remember, these are the same idiots who CANCELED Stargate SG-1 while it was still their #1 series and put it in the hands of Sci Fi. What morons.)

I recommend this to anyone wanting a good story with a lot of edge to it. Tell all your friends.

Here goes another well told series cut out before its prime. Odyssey 5 was a Shotime series (you know the network that gave you a show like Fat Actress and Stargate SG1, this show was inbetween). Showtime cut the Odyseey show short by give the run of 19 episodes.

For its maiden and only season, Odyseey combined a time travel premous with an end of the world ideal(these five people from the shuttle Odyssey were put back on earth five before it imploded to find out why it was and try to stop it). It works well as a good SF series, it does not dwell as million of Special efects like a Star Trek or Battlestar would, it dwells within the human emotions that movies this series...I think this is one of the reasons that this series fail to find an audience. It also foreshadowed items that would or coulkd be used in the show's season season which never came to pass..too bad

The casting of Peter Weller as the mission Odyssey commander was brillant. He isnt a epic hero in the sense like Robocop (which he played in two movies), he is a frailer down to earth man. With this role, you dont need an epic hero type like James T. Kirk. Note this show is a polar opposite from Star Trek in its scope

There is an audio commentary track of the pilot episode with Producer Manny Moto and Peter Weller which gives an insite to what may have happened in future seasons if the show was to continue

DAMN Showtime and the Sci-FI channel! for Showtime, This was an educated smart series that should have been given a chance to grow, so do another FAT ACTRESS please. For Sci-Fi Channel, Odyssey would have worked in your Schedule with Stargate SG1 which is the OLDEST RUNNING SCIENCE FICTION series on TV (and note was started on SHOWTIME Network)and the Emmy nominated and critic loved BattleStar Gallatica remake

If you want a smart series, get this DVD set. It is worth watching to see what you should have seen

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

Pardon me for being late to the reviews.

In picking up this series at the Library, I was compelled when I saw at least six episodes of 'O5' past the pre-emptive shutdown that Showtime imposed on this well-done and ill-fated series. The last episode I recall them showing was 'Skin' and the death of Taggart's wife, Paige. Now I get the treat of seeing what happened past that only to be left with a cliff-hanger unresolved. I not only refreshed myself with the episodes I've seen, I've also seen what Showtime should have aired but -in their own self-interest- allowed to not ever be seen on their network.
That, in itself, says volumes about how Showtime likes to work and I'm certainly NOT impressed by it.

'Odyssey 5', in my mind, is only rivaled by the present 'Battlestar Galactica' for coherent plots, excellent acting and great twists of the storyline. This series engages the brain. You don't simply sit on the couch, you want to join in with the characters. I so wish that Showtime would've gotten their heads out of their nether regions to allow the series to have ran its full course.
However, they didn't. Thus we are left with what is and dreams of what might have been.

Yes, this series- short as it is- is worth the money to buy it in my book.

This was my all time favorite show after Quantum Leap. It was a mix of the aforementioned show and X-Files. The drama, the humor, the conspiracies, the top-notch acting (especially Peter Weller in his best role ever), the intelligence all mixed into a wonderful bubble and then blown up for you on your television set.
I was hooked as soon as the Earth exploded (or did it implode?) in the very first episode, setting up the incredible story of 5 people left over on a shuttle with no home to go to. The emotional images after the catastrophe, and the way the 5 on the shuttle Odyssey handled it drew me in as a viewer and I was suddenly attached the characters before the show was even a quarter of the way through.
When the season ended, I was excited for it to continue and then devastated to find out that I would not be able to follow the crew of the Odyssey on any more adventures. Yes, I was one of those geeks that wrote to everyone I could over at Showtime to get my show back on the air. But it didn't happen and I cancelled my subscription to Showtime, sadly because the only things I watched on it were Odyssey 5 and Jeremiah (which was an okay show).
In conclusion.... I'd have to say that this is worth watching if you're a fan of the shows that I mentioned above. But prepare to be disappointed and left wanting more as soon as you finish watching the final episode.... can you say "cliffhanger"?