[Warning: General spoilers ahead.]
Syfy’s second entry into the December miniseries fray is Childhood’s End, a six-hour adaptation of a 1953 Arthur C. Clarke novel about extraterrestrial visitors who drop into Earth to help its inhabitants right a sinking ship. The decades-spanning story explores the various and sundry fallout that happens when nothing is completely as advertised, and you surrender a lot for the promise of something better than what you have in front of you. It’s not wholly unlike the life lessons we learned via the Stephen King-based miniseries of the 80s and 90s like The Stand and It.
It’s a grand undertaking with a very large cast led by Under the Dome‘s Mike Vogel, Hell on Wheels’ Colm Meaney, Game of Thrones‘ Charles Dance, Chicago Fire‘s Daisy Betts, and Julian McMahon as the most recognizable faces along with Manhattan‘s Ashley Zukerman, Orange is the New Black‘s Yael Stone, and British actor Osy Ikhile (The Fear). The miniseries filmed in Australia, standing in for a variety of locations around the globe.
And that’s about all we can tell you to preserve the reveals. Click here for a guide to the main characters.
Here’s the formal logline: Childhood’s End follows the bloodless takeover of Earth by the alien Overlords, who usher in a golden age of peace, health and security for all of humanity. But why do the Overlords insist on hiding their appearance–and what do they ultimately want? While much of the world enjoys its newfound Utopia, some suspect there’s a price to pay. As the truth about the Overlords’ intentions is revealed, humanity will discover its destiny may actually be a nightmare, and not a dream.
Although the original story is 62 years old, it’s certainly timely to posit that maybe the Earth might really need some help. We’ve screened the first episode, and it’s a solid drama with moments of terror here and there. As with all stories like this, leave your disbelief at the door and enjoy the ride. While a lot of it may seem familiar from other sci-fi movie and TV tales, bear in mind that, in all likelihood, Clarke’s novel was the blueprint for them, and here his words are finally being put on film.
Here are a few sneak peeks to get you ready. Childhood’s End premieres Monday at 8/7c on Syfy with parts two and three following on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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