10 Underrated Current Sci-Fi TV Shows You Need To Be Watching
7. Colony
The premise of earth colonised by extraterrestrial invaders is pretty old hat in this day and age - especially on TV - and such is the pitch line of this Carlton Cuse series. No big surprise, then, that most people have given this one a miss.
Yet, its unique approach to the material is really what makes this entry deserving of a sleeper success. Harkening closer to the tense turn-coat thrills of Infernal Affairs then the obvious bombast of Independence Day, it’s a nail-biting affair with a refreshing coat of grey instead of the usual ‘good vs bad’ lines associated with this material.
The plot revolves around a society within a strict dictatorship, following humans allied with the aliens for better living, rebels eager to fight them, or working class people just getting on with their lives in dark times.
Josh Holloway - finally landing a worthy lead since Lost - is great as the world-weary cop trying to do right by his family, and Sarah Wayne Callies gets a chance to play a dimensional character instead of just the nagging wife/girlfriend. Yet it’s with the smaller characters the show really shines, e.g. Peter Jacobson's smarmy antagonist turns into one of the most layered and sympathetic characters over the show's current course.
Add to that some strong production value and gripping gun action, and you have a fresh approach to old genre tropes.