When I first heard about the Showtime series, “Jeremiah” I had extremely mixed feelings about watching it. The fact that it was created by J. Michael Straczynski piqued my interest because he is one hell of a writer, and I still consider “Babylon 5” to be one of the best Science Fiction series of the 1990’s. But the casting of Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner as the two leads left me a bit cold. Neither actor has really worked on anything notable since their “Beverly Hills 90210” and “The Cosby Show (respectively) heyday, though both have certainly tried. Perry has had an especially hard time of it having made only one really good movie, “8 Seconds”, in his post “90210” career. In spite of Perry’s involvement I really did want to at least give the series a chance because of Straczynski. My first hurdle was that I do not have Showtime (or HBO for that matter) as part of my Cable TV package.

I’ve generally found little reason to pay the extra bucks for movies I’ve already seen on DVD. My attitude about this little extra expense started to change as the channels started airing original series, but to this day I still remain a cheapskate. Most of the ones I’ve been interested in have started to be released onto the home video market anyway. This is how I finally got to see the 1st season of “Jeremiah.”

“Jeremiah” is one of those post-apocalyptic dramas that take place in the future. It is based on a European graphic novel series by Belgian author Hermann Huppen and takes us 15 years past the time of “The Big Death”, which was a plague that claimed the lives of billions of people, leaving behind only those who had not yet reached puberty. Jeremiah (Perry) is our guide through a world rebuilt by the surviving children. He is on a quest to solve the mystery of where the plague came from, and is in search of ‘The Valhalla Sector’, which his father mentioned briefly before dying. He is joined on his quest by Kurdy (Warner), and together they face the day to day struggle to survive.

As I made my way through the 1st season of the series I was struck by the similarities to “Babylon 5.” I’m not talking any direct plot similarity as “Jeremiah” takes place on Earth and is set in a completely different ‘universe’, but more so in the underlying intricacy of the story. Though I’m sure this can be credited in part to the original source material, I’m sure it’s more so due to Straczynski’s almost obsessive attention to detail. As an author he likes to create entire timelines, sometimes covering millions of years in either direction, so that every action taken by the main characters has repercussions that reverberate throughout that timeline. Though as a series it is not necessarily as good overall as “B-5” was (so far anyway), it is that attention to detail that makes “Jeremiah” a worthwhile watch. I’m glad that the series was renewed for a 2nd season, if for nothing else but to see how some little detail becomes incredibly important later in the overall plot arc.

Unlike “B-5”, where Straczynski wrote about 99% of the episodes, here he only wrote about half. It was just enough to make sure the story stayed on track. I would also certainly credit some of the show’s quality to the choice of directors. The first episode was directed by Russell Mulcahy (of “Highlander” fame), and was equally pleased and surprised to see Peter DeLuise listed amongst the credits. DeLuise is responsible for writing and directing some of “Stargate SG-1’s” best episodes.

The DVD set itself comes as a 6-disc foldout housed within a slipcover. Inside you’ll also find a little booklet with episode descriptions, which is always helpful. The transfer itself is quite good only the occasional artifact. I was also fairly impressed with the sound. I never had any problems hearing the dialogue, and when there was a need for rumbling bass, it was there.

The one area where I was a little disappointed was in the extras. There were very few, and while the 1st episode commentary by Perry and Warner was quite entertaining I really missed hearing from Straczynski. His commentaries were amongst the highlights of the “B-5” sets and they would have been as equally welcome here. The one ‘Behind the Scenes’ featurette comes in at about five minutes and really doesn’t offer much more than promotional type information. There are 10 deleted scenes for those who are into that sort of thing, and a fairly good gallery of pictures.

“Jeremiah” may not sit very high on the list of great sci-fi shows, but this 1st season shows a lot of promise. I have a feeling Straczynski has some interesting developments planned for the 2nd season and if I’m right, this season will be required viewing in order to fully appreciate them. (Besides, Sean Astin has joined the cast for the 2nd season, so if it has a follow-up DVD release, I guarantee I’ll be there.)

Episodes:
The Long Road
Man of Iron, Woman Under Glass
…And the Ground, Sown with Salt
To Sail Beyond the Stars
The Bag
City of Roses
Firewall
The Red Kiss
Journeys End in Lovers Meeting
Thieves’ Honor
The Touch
Mother of Invention
Tripwire
Ring of Truth
Moon in Gemini
Out of the Ashes
A Means to an End
Things Left Unsaid – Part 1
Things Left Unsaid – Part 2

Starring: Luke Perry, Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Extras: Audio Commentary by Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Deleted Scenes, Behind the Scenes Featurette, Production Sketches, Photo Gallery
Specifications: Full Frame, Stereo Surround
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 1/20/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give Jeremiah: Season 1 a B+.