Customer Reviews

Survivors: Complete Seasons One & Two

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought the DVDs because I heard great things about the show. I also bought it because they marketed series 1 and 2 together. I thought they must have done this because there would be a season three in the works. Alas it turned out that this was not to be. The BBC canceled the show after what was a heart stopping cliff-hanger.
So I think that the BBC in essence cheated the consumer. It's like buying a novel only to find out that the last three chapters are missing.
They had a great product and they ruined it---incomprehensible. When you think that a season is only 6 episodes anyway. they should have not left it incomplete. A two hour finale would have been great just to give it a sense of completion.
I also think it is unfair for them to now show the series on BBC America knowing that it is essentially going nowhere--it's been already canceled and it's incomplete. All those viewers will watch the final episode of season two all for nothing, as they will get no answers.
If I had known all this before hand I would not have bought the DVD's.

We can always hope that they will complete the story somehow.

For me to call this series the best show today, is a lot. I watch too much TV and expect a lot out of television shows. Survivors is one of the best shows I've ever seen (barring Firefly). It is smart, the actors are excellent, the story is at once human, horrible, and thrilling. The first few episodes when the virus sweeps through England and everyone is dying were a bit rocky - but you have to start somewhere. Around the middle of the first season, when the group consisting of seven people were forming as a sort of family - even though they were strangers to each other, Survivors begins to shine. The brilliance of this series is how these people are very different from each other, but somehow manage to hold on to civility in the face of incredible inhumanity, which is very real and quite frightening as you watch it unfold. Each character holds his or her own in this series, something one rarely sees on television today. Abby is the matriarch - a very kind, maternal woman before the virus, becomes a very strong, central character who holds this ragtag group together and to a level of humanity others cannot seem to do. Tom is the strong, silent mystery man who holds himself separate, but as the story progresses becomes more and more the other half of Abby. We learn he is a murderer and doesn't have the moral balance that Abby has, but the two are almost a perfect complement to each other regarding this family. Greg starts out kind of wimpy, but under Abby and the family's influence blossoms as a man of great character and intelligence. This "family" is the focus of Survivors as they deal with the aftermath of almost complete annihilation of society as we know it. We see one group trying to establish some sort of government, but the flaws are outstanding. We see another who enslaves people to try to jump start an industrial society again. We see groups of people without hope, food, decent water, shelter, and most of all, direction. In the middle of this chaos is Abby's "family." I really hope this show goes on for a very long time, and I hope people will start watching it to continue its longevity. Too many fantastic shows are canceled before their time and this show is too good to end. I highly recommend this one to all of my friends and family and am buying it to share with them. Not everybody gets BBC America to watch it here in the US. But it is one you won't be disappointed with. Much, much better than anything offered on American television today.

We've just discovered this series on television and are thrilled there's more to enjoy.

The characters are believable, and the interaction interesting. Good writing and plot. There's action to fulfill the needs of the guys in my house and I'm fascinated by the concept of how society would behave in the event of such an apocalyptic disease. Apparently it's a re-imagining of a series from the 1970's.

Two seasons have been filmed (as this DVD set shows) and I really hope they carry on into a third season - We'll watch!

I rented this out of curiosity. A pleasant surprise. The basic thread of the story is that (* spoilers ahead) a lethal virus of unknown origin has wiped out and killed most of the inhabitants of Britain; although, for some reason, a small few have an immunity to it and live. The plot chronicles how they must now live without electricity, gas, and the modern conveniences we all take for granted (like a grocery store full of food).

I like the premise of the story itself, but also the excellent writing. The characters are real, diverse, and interesting to get to know as a viewer. The screenplay dialogue is always surprising and fresh. Stangers must now interact with each other and help one another to survive, while they deal with the sudden grief they their lives are now totally changed forever in a blink of an eye.

An added plus is the great cinematopgraphy, which films many scenes outside in nature and uses a wide lens to show the vast emptiness of the landscape, and yet the landscape itself is beautifully shot.

** first rate drama, a must-see **

SURVIVORS is another captivating BBC drama that tries to answer the question: What happens when a horrifically virulent plague wipes out 90% of the world's population resulting in total anarchy, lawlessness, and the collapse of civilization? With only two seasons of only 6 episodes each, SURVIVORS keeps you fascinated and wanting more.

SURVIVORS is a remake of a 1970's series based on a novel by Terry Nation (the creator of Doctor Who). The series is remarkable in its atmosphere. The horror of mass death, the realization that only 10% of the population is left, the loss of power, transportation, medical care, communication, law, government are all well done and very believable. You really feel for these characters and are completely drawn in. How do you go on when everyone you know has died? How do you continue to survive, when there are no groceries, no clean water, no medicine? And no way to bury the millions of dead bodies...

But what is really interesting about SURVIVORS, what really makes it tick, are the characters who are given a second chance at life. SURVIVORS focuses on a small group of very diverse people who are now thrown together in an almost familial unit: Abby (Julie Graham), the matriarch who is determined to find the son she's convinced is still alive; Tom (Max Beesley), the convict who was doing time murder when the virus struck; Anya (Zoe Tapper), the pretty young doctor; Greg (Peterson Joseph), the untrusting loner whose life had already been falling apart; Al (Phillip Rhys), a rich, lazy playboy who can't do anything for himself; and Najid, a devout, 11-year-old Muslim. How has the global tragedy changed them? Can the convict reform? Will the doctor ever practice medicine again, or has she seen too much horror? Will the playboy suddenly grow up? Watching these people, their interactions with each other, and their reactions to both the plague and how to go on is what keeps the audience coming back each espisode. Can they remake themselves? Can they overcome all obstacles and keep on living?

My only criticism of SURVIVORS is that the story lines get a bit repetitive after awhile. The "family" doesn't seem to learn from their mistakes from week to week. Hey, it is h-e-double-tooth-picks out there; to really survive these folks need to learn a little faster.

Over all, though, SURVIVORS is worth watching. There are a number of continuing story arcs, and luckily, several of them are tied up nicely by the end of season 2. Since the series has, unfortunately, been cancelled, I am very glad that a few things, at least, had been resolved. RECOMMENDED.

Great show! Series one, each episode was hour and a half, each one was a complete story. Characters are very real and by the end you care for each one of them. Series two was all one story arc, one hour each episode. Still great show. BBC One just cancelled the show last week. If you go to facebook there is a group one can join where the show you how to email BBC for a Series 3. Please do!!

If you loved "The Stand" or "Jericho," then Survivors is must-see BBC.

Think The Stand minus the supernatural and gore. And Jericho except the characters didn't know each before the calamity, didn't live in the same town and are on the move.

Excellent production quality, very well-acted and compelling characters. But for the accents and driving on the other side of the road (not that it matters much what lane you're in after the flu wipes out 99% of the population), Survivors could be in America. Well, there's also the relative dearth of guns compared to American productions in this genre. Terrific series, if you've read this far you're going to love it.

I am currently late into the second series of this show, and am amazed. So used to shallow plots, shallow characters, with shallow acting, this series seems to have learned from the best, and culled the rest. I'm a very avid Zombie Apocalypse fan, and this show has made up for all the bad recent remakes and new additions.

I've read that this is a remake, and as of this writing am unaware of the original. However, this remake, if that is truly what it is, without having seen the original, does it justice. Perhaps not in the literal sense, but standing alone, I am captivated, and amused. A rare condition to be in, these days.

I hope for an additional season beyond the second, and only suggest they refrain from the typical, every lasting plot, and concede to diverge into additional demands upon the characters, their goals, and the series.

Dang, but the BBC puts on some good shows. SURVIVORS was one of them good shows, except that it came and went in a blink, and canceled after two series for not having garnered enough viewership. This sucks supremely. I'd been looking for a post-apocalyptic series on the telly to latch onto, ever since JERICHO got the bum's rush, and I had my eye on SURVIVORS. I highly recommend this show... if you don't mind that the second (and final) series ends on a cliffhanger.

On this go-around, it's an unstoppable strain of influenza which kicks humanity to the curb, killing off 90% of the global population. The show focuses on a makeshift community of survivors in England, and it really is a particular treat to see repressed British people trying to cope. Associated themes crop up inevitably, mostly revolving around the retaining of one's humanity versus the adoption of sheer pragmatism and aggression in order to stay alive and even to propagate the human race. It's always that same question, right? How do you face the end of the world? With grace, or with teeth and claws? Whenever the infrastructure of society crumbles, it's sort of hard to fit in those civilized sessions of tea and scones.

The cast is a diverse one. Extraordinarily, the mantle of de facto leadership falls on a mother named Abby whose primary motivation is to find her vanished 12-year-old son. Abby is the one who coaxes this pack of strangers to stick together, and she provides the group's moral linchpin. Other members consist of a self-sufficient loner, a rich (and shiftless) playboy who ends up taking a teenager under his wing, a young doctor who'd renounced her calling, and a complex stone-cold killer.

This show didn't last long enough to really explore this desolate new world, and it certainly wasn't special effects heavy. The writers instead focus on strong character development and the premise certainly lends to plenty of fodder. To me, the real hook is Tom Price (Max Beesley), the killer in the midst who now finds himself in a savage world that fits him like a glove. Beesley plays Tom Price as almost inscrutable, very hard to read - and there are many moments when he's just so still - but he lets you know that something seethes underneath the stoic expression. Tom is always assessing and re-assessing. And when he wants to, he exudes a chilling menace. Tom Price early on turns his attentions on Anya, the beautiful doctor (who doesn't want to let on that she's a doctor), and I seriously didn't know where this was going. But, as this relationship evolved, it quickly became my favorite one to follow. Tom reminds me of a murderous but absolutely loyal guard dog. He would kill without remorse to keep Anya safe. Tom and Anya are polar opposites. Anya (Zoe Tapper) hopes for a better world and she cares about people. Tom's first resort is that of violence and intimidation. And isn't love sweet?

Outside forces intrude on our group's struggles for survival. Apparently, the British government still exists, shakily, in the shape of a lone government minister fighting to regain order. Because, even in highly contagious pandemics, a politician, like a roach, is sure to make out okay. Abby and her group get tangled up in the minister's increasingly dark schemes.

Technological amenities are still available for some. Ominous helicopters are glimpsed over the skyline. Black-clad paratroopers scour the empty cityscapes for survivors, except that these soldiers aren't fueled by charity or good will. Somewhere, there is a science laboratory conducting some very sinister experiments. And it's Abby Grant's pure bad luck that she had originally caught the deadly influenza but then survived it. Some very bad men are looking for her now, to open her up, see what makes her tick.

So many things unresolved and unexplored. SURVIVORS' budget didn't allow for a more epic canvas, and so what we get are the little personal stories, many desperate moments of human drama, and I loved these, especially since the episodes do manage to inject action sequences here and there and enough doses of conspiracy intrigue. It's fascinating to observe the shifts of loyalties and personal ties in the group. It's sobering that most of the survivors the group encounters shape more into Tom Price's mold, and how most people in power cling to that very dangerous maxim: "We do what we must for the greater good." It's also fascinating how Abby and the others see Tom, regarding him as this unsavory character and yet so very much dependent on his brutal skills to help keep them alive. Lovely Anya struggles with this the most. I do seem to go on and on about Tom and Anya, huh? Max Beesley and Zoe Tapper, they work these characters so well. To reiterate, it sucks supremely that SURVIVORS got the axe.

Now I'm eyeing the original 1970s series.

Five DVDs compile the twelve episodes making up the first and second series. Regarding bonus material, Disc 2 has "A New World: The Making Of SURVIVORS" (00:26:34 minutes long); Disc 3 offers "Character Profile" clips on series characters Abby Grant (00:04:37), Tom Price (00:04:28), and Greg Preston (00:03:21) and a SURVIVORS special effects segment which features the CGI team touching up the abandoned freeway scene (where Al and Nadj play soccer) and also fabricating the explosion at the petrol station (00:05:48).

I watched this show from beginning to end--and yes I do mean end--with great attention. I enjoyed it a lot. Until they totally leave you hanging because BBC decided not to finish the show. Extremely disappointing. The least they should have done given that they knew they weren't going to finish the series is do a 2 hour finale or something. So, don't waste your money unless you want to be disappointed.